Inwardness by Jonardon Ganeri

 Inwardness by Jonardon Ganeri

is a new philosophical book published by Columbia University Press, defining the meaning of of this word, read considering the perspectives of old and modern thinkers. Starting from Augustine and his original theory that, after all this world is, for our interiority a library of memories. Kirkegaard thought, vice-versa, that a human being is the synthesis of infinite and finite, temporal and eternal, freedom and necessity. 

Masks are also treated largely in the book because a mask hides the real self of a person behind a fake character. 

Also the real face of a person is taking in consideration: a thematic I appreciate a lot, because my face has mutated a lot, recently, and, let me add, fortunately.

The appearance and the real self of a person is important, because our face represents also the relationships that we establish with other people and represents the mirror or ourselves. So, also if our soul would want to speak another language, our face reflect who we are outside and this discrepancy can be seen because of a characterial alteration; so, sometimes, people can't read correctly our character or our person because they see someone distorted. A cosmetic surgeon, writes the author said one day to a person: "Man's soul is in his skin. The face, in the final analysis, is the expression something like an equation by which we show our relationship with others. It's a roadway between oneself and others." 

Borges with his short tales sees the inwardness as a series of dreams within dreams. What we want to be and who we are.

Pessoa noticed differently that we are, suggestive idea, "eternal tourists of ourselves..." Although, he added "there is no landscape but who we are."

The boook illustrates also the position of Simone Weil, and other thinkers and religions with originality and without heaviness but with the idea of searching for more readings!!!

I recommend to all of you this little book. It's refreshing and considering the times, an important distraction.

I thank Columbia University Press for the physical copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori