An Eye for an I: Philosophies of Personal Power

How can we gain insight into and mastery of ourselves? Entering the world of the great philosophers and engaging with them, we become aware of what we are capable of becoming. They speak to us of themselves and the good life and thereby offer the possibility for self-development.

While this sounds like psychology, it is what the ancient Greeks called moral philosophy and its main precept is 'know oneself'. To know oneself is to embrace one's personal power.

From Socrates to Sartre, from Plato to postmodernism, philosophers have important things to say about the personal power that underpins human existence. This book discusses ten philosophical perspectives, or worldviews, which present original ideas capable of evoking in us values that are guidelines for personal conduct. Harmonising knowledge, values and conduct maximises our personal power and thereby enables us to solve the practical and psychological problems of human existence, or overcome those that cannot be solved.

The philosophers discussed in this book embody ideas of considerable fascination and force which can change our lives by penetrating the illusions of appearance and the delusions of common sense. As philosophy is thinking critically about thinking, it is a liberating activity because philosophers confront us with our prejudices and arouse our curiosity without satisfying it.

They show us what they were and how philosophy inspired them to live productive lives. They did not seek disciples but encouraged others to philosophise with them.

We cannot escape from philosophy because we philosophise when we reflect critically on how well we are living.

Philosophy is, therefore, a meditation on who we are and what we can become: it is an eye for an I.

Robert Spillane is a Professor and past Dean of the Graduate School of Management at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He has degrees in clinical and industrial psychology and worked as a psychotherapist for more than 25 years. He has taught at the London Business School, the ABIN Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, in Singapore and Hong Kong and several Australian universities and he was a visiting scholar at the Center for Working Life in Stockholm, Sweden. From 2003 to 2011 he delivered a series of widely acclaimed lectures on philosophy and psychology at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. He has written numerous journal articles and several books on philosophy, psychology and management. His recent books include: ’Questionable Behaviour: Psychology’s Undermining of Personal Responsibility’, ’The Rise of Psychomanagement in Australia’, ’Personality & Performance’ (with John Martin) and ’The Management Contradictionary’ (with B. & R. Marks). In 2006 he received the international Thomas S. Szasz Award from the Center for Independent Thought in New York for his professional contributions to the cause of human liberty.