94 REVIEWS AND SHORT NOTICES

© 2007 The Author(s). Journal compilation © 2007 The Historical Association and Blackwell Publishing.

The Idea of the Self: Thought and Experience in Western Europe since theSeventeenth Century

. By Jerrold Seigel.

Cambridge University Press. 2005. viii +724pp. £19.99.

Jerrold Seigel’s

The Idea of the Self

treats intelligently a host of early modernto contemporary thinkers’ conceptions of self. Given the challenge of coveringso many thinkers, Seigel interprets and historicizes them coherently, and delvesinto the surrounding scholarship. His readings are subtle, capturing the nuancesof each theory of self. Importantly, his theses are clear throughout. However, thetreatment of the figures in the book may be too brief for the requirementsof some, for texts are not always analysed as closely and contextualized asthoroughly as might be hoped. This may not be a crucial failing, as this bookseems to emphasize a broader historical and philosophical project. Given thiscaveat, Seigel’s book should be invaluable for advanced scholars while servingequally well as a gateway into the subject.

Seigel’s purposes are dually historical and philosophical. His main historicaland conceptual aims are to explore a variety of conceptions of the self and toshow that these almost always fall along one or more of three dimensions:bodily, relational and reflective. Generally, bodily selves are constructed out ofhuman physiology; relational selves develop out of social circumstances, andreflective selves are based on the mind’s consideration of itself.

Out of this structure, Seigel’s primary philosophical contention is thatone-dimensional models of the self distort human identity, especially purelyreflective selves, which oscillate between denying the self entirely or radicallyinflating the self towards limitless potency. Here, Seigel hopes to show thathistorical study of theories of self is relevant to contemporary philosophy ofmind. Concerning these claims, Seigel’s methodology may reveal a gap betweenhis philosophical intentions and his historical content, for historical exampledoes not necessarily indicate that ideas of self will always behave as they havebeen previously theorized. Nevertheless, Seigel’s project as a whole is notvulnerable to such criticism because his claims are, I believe, philosophically cogent.

Because of the arguments’ philosophical foundations and in so far as theseare concerned, the book does shift from history to genealogy. Thus, Seigel’sexamination of historical theories of self may suggest or reinforce but cannotdemonstrate the preferability of multi-dimensional self-conceptions. Thesehistorical and philosophical aspects do not always meet seamlessly; none theless, Seigel’s study deserves attention for its intriguing work in both areas.

University of Exeter

BENJAMIN THOMPSON

Introduction to Global Military History: 1775 to the Present Day

. By JeremyBlack.

Routledge. 2005. xix + 294pp. £16.99.In introducing us to his ‘Global Military History’, Professor Black sets

himself a formidable set of targets. He is determined to move away from thewell-trodden paths of great-power conflict and the vogue for eurocentricity. Heseeks to build up discussion of Asian developments and view them not as a mereadjunct to those of the west. He wishes to strike a balance between social/political context and the purely military dimension with its concern for fightingand military capability. To a considerable degree, Professor Black succeeds inreaching these impressive goals.