What if everything you thought you knew about yourself was an illusion?

For over two decades, Eric Oliver has transformed the way thousands of students at the University of Chicago understand themselves. Now, in How to Know Your Self, he invites readers into that same profound journey of discovery.

Weaving together recent breakthroughs in physics, neuroscience, and psychology with the enduring wisdom of ancient philosophy, Oliver unpacks the most profound questions at the heart of human experience: what exactly is this thing we call a “self,” and how can we make it work better? With clarity, humor, and insight, he leads readers on a delightful tour of the unseen forces that shape our thoughts, feelings, and very sense of being.

Offering something more enduring than simple self-help or life-hacking, How to Know Your Self fundamentally transforms our understanding of what it means to be a person.

About the Author: J. Eric Oliver is professor of political science at the University of Chicago and host of the Nine Questions podcast. He has authored five books on subjects ranging from the politics of obesity to magical thinking in American life. He lives in Chicago.