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Joanna Nadin
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The Future of the Self (Futures) Paperback – 6 Aug. 2024

by Joanna Nadin (Author)
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Exploring the changing nature of 'self' through the lens of popular culture and how changes in science, philosophy, technology, and society might impact our sense of self in the future.

Look in the mirror - what do you see?

We all feel, instinctively, that self exists. That somewhere inside us, under the clothes, the make-up, and self-tan, lurks a hard 'pearl', a kernel of truth called 'me'. And it's big business uncovering that 'authentic' kernel. It's also a fool's errand, because that 'true self'? It doesn't exist.

Self is no more than a story we tell ourselves. It's mutable, pliable as Plasticine. Worse, it's not even strictly autobiographical, but co-authored with those around us. And as such, there is no one version, but myriad, and the number is growing as we are exposed to ever more connections.

We are already seeing the effects travel, television, and celebrity culture can have on the formation of self, but as digital and social media exposure grows, and in the advent of AI, what will happen to our sense of self? Can we become ever more multiple and adapt better to our globalised world? Or will we dissolve into narcissitic, detached 'nobodies'?

The Future of the Self will explore our current understanding of self in both philosophical and neuroscientific terms and through the lens of popular culture. It will ask what might happen to it in the coming years, and what a 'useful self' might look like in the future.

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  1. Part of series
    The Futures
  2. Print length
    128 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Melville House Publishing
  5. Publication date
    6 Aug. 2024
  6. Dimensions
    11.28 x 0.97 x 17.88 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    1685891330
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1685891336
  9. See all details
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Product description

Review

'Joanna Nadin invites us to sit back and enjoy the ride as she takes us on a whirlwind tour of the psychology of self. With stories from contemporary culture and literature to illuminate the way, this is an entertaining book with a serious message. You can choose your future self.' - Stephen Joseph, professor, and author of Authentic: How to Be Yourself and Why It Matters

'From a dystopian vision of an individualistic, self-absorbed, social media obsessed bunch of 'nobody' selves, to a self-confident, connected and aware-of-our-place-within-nature 'everybody' self, this book explores possibilities for all our future selves via fun anecdotes and learned scholars. Thoroughly enjoyable.' - Rachel Poulton, author of The Little Book of Philosophy

'Everyone, whether they know it or not, has their own take on the self. Some of us prefer to hold onto the egocentric version but in Joanna Nadin's new book The Future of the Self she challenges this view and offers a dazzling alternative. It is a fantastic vision and one that I wish teenagers would read as they navigate today's minefield of personal identity.' - Bruce Hood, author of The Self Illusion: Who Do You Think You Are?

About the Author

Joanna Nadin is a former broadcast journalist and special adviser to the Prime Minister. Since leaving politics she's written more than 90 books for children and adults, including the Carnegie-nominated Joe All Alone, The Queen of Bloody Everything, The Talk of Pram Town and The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings. She is now a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Bristol, and has a PhD in the nature of self in relation to YA literature.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Melville House Publishing (6 Aug. 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1685891330
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1685891336
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.28 x 0.97 x 17.88 cm
  • Customer reviews:

About the author

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Joanna Nadin

Joanna Nadin

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A former broadcast journalist and special adviser to the Prime Minister (not this one), since leaving politics I've written more than 90 books for children and adults, including the UK bestselling The Worst Class in the World series, the Flying Fergus series with Sir Chris Hoy, and the Carnegie-nominated Joe All Alone, which is now a BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated BBC Drama. I've been a World Book Day author, a Blue Peter book of the month and Radio 4 and the i magazine Book of the Year, won the Fantastic Book Award and the Highland Book Prize, been nominated for the Carnegie Medal twice, and been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, Queen of Teen and the Big Book Awards among many others, and am published across multiple territories. I have a PhD in Creative Writing and am a Senior Lecturer in the subject at University of Bristol, as well as teaching for the Arvon Foundation.

I like: Paris, prom dresses, that bit in the West Wing where Donna tells Josh she wouldn't stop for a red light if he was in an accident, junk shops, Ladybird books, cake, crisps, Cornwall, St Custard's, Portuguese custard tarts, politics, pin-up swimsuits, the Regency, high heels, horses, old songs, old dresses, my Grandma's fur coat, vinyl, liner notes, the smell of old books, the feel of a velveteen monkey, quiffs, putting my hand in a bin of chicken feed, eating peanut butter from the jar, the bit where Johnny says 'no-one puts Baby in a corner', the 1950s, automata, fiddles, gigs in fields on warm summer nights, Bath, the bath.

Find out more at http://www.joannanadin.com

On Twitter: @joannanadin

On Instagram: @jonadin

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
3 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Laura D
5.0 out of 5 stars A well-written and accessible insight into an intriguing topic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 July 2024
In this book, author Joanna Nadin takes on the challenge of considering what is meant by ‘self’, and whether what we think it means has or could ever exist. In fact (spoiler alert…!), it doesn’t…

Nadin takes us on a fascinating journey, via many a pop culture reference, starting with the backstory of self, and moving on to two potentials for the future — the dystopian ‘nobody’ and a more encouraging ‘everybody’.

She draws on some of the sources that have influenced her own work in the past, including “The Self Illusion” by Bruce Hood and “The Ego Trick” by Julian Baggini, and describes some of the scientific underpinnings to the theories and ideas discussed. I was particularly fascinated by the concept of ‘mirror neurons’; a type of brain cell that fires up not only when we do something, but also when we see someone else (or even think about someone else, real or fictional) do the same action. As a book worm, I love the concept that not only the people we meet in real life, but also those in the pages of books, can influence our identity, and help us build that crucial skill — empathy.

The author herself, despite providing the dystopian option, takes a positive view and concludes by urging us to take pleasure in metamorphosis and to stop worrying about ‘the real me’. Because of course, it doesn’t exist…

Overall I’m really loving this series, and if there’s a subject that intrigues you, or perhaps just piques your interest, but you���re not ready to dive into weighty textbooks or peer-reviewed journal articles, it is the perfect starting point. Boiling a subject down into around 100 pages, and recruiting authors who are experts but also able to write in an accessible and engaging way (no easy feat), they provide a perfect overview of their subject. You might choose to read more (in which case, they include further reading ideas), or you might not — but if not, you will still have read a fascinating insight into an intriguing topic.
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Wendy
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 July 2024
As well as being informative and thought-provoking, this is a thoroughly engaging, authoritative, and fun read. I particularly love the way in which well-researched and original ideas about the ‘self’ are conveyed in such a conversational manner. Reading this book is like having coffee with a very sparkly and intellectual friend. Highly recommend.
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