Against Identity

The Wisdom of Escaping the Self

By: Alexander Douglas

Narrated by: Alexander Douglas

Brought to you by Penguin.

Modern life encourages us to pursue the perfect identity. Whether we aspire to become the best lawyer or charity worker, life partner or celebrity influencer, we emulate exemplars that exist in the world – hoping it will bring us happiness. But this often leads to a complex game of envy and pride. We achieve these identities but want others to imitate us. We disagree with those whose identities contradict ours – leading to polarisation and even violence. And yet when they thump against us, we are ashamed to ring hollow.

In Against Identity, philosopher Alexander Douglas seeks an alternative wisdom. Searching the work of three thinkers – ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, Dutch Enlightenment thinker Benedict de Spinoza, and 20th Century French theorist René Girard – he explores how identity can be a spiritual violence that leads us away from truth.

Through their worlds and radically different cultures, we discover how, at moments of historical rupture, our hunger for being grows: and yet, it is exactly these times when we should make peace with our indeterminacy and discover the freedom of escaping our selves.

© Alexander Douglas 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Great topic, writing and narration!

In a time where everything is focused around extreme individuality and a collective narcissism and grandiosity within ourselves and our ideologies it’s amazing to get a book like this. Information I wouldn’t have found by myself is all right there in very understandable but not patronizing terms. Plus one of the best narrations I’ve heard in a while. I love it!

Audiobook version not recommended

Well-considered philosophical essay about the nature and pursuit of identity and the consequences of this quest.
Timely in that it provides a perspective on why the desire for virtue leads to divisiveness and violence, but with little practical application. Douglas does attempt a connection to anthropology through the work of Wrangham (The Goodness Paradox), but doesn’t explore the psychological concept of identity aside from the initial definitions. And while he warns us that choosing a life without a single, obvious identity will not be well tolerated by others, he provides little to console or encourage those who may want to try. Might be of some help to those suffering from nihilism or existential tendencies, otherwise just for the select few.

The audiobook version is difficult to follow if one is not familiar with the pronunciation of Chinese characters, which makes the differences difficult to hear. While
the author has a pleasant voice, the audio seems to cut off at the end of many sentences, causing unnatural pauses. Recommend print or digital, instead.