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Book Description:
In this book polymath William Ian Miller probes one of the dirty little secrets of humanity: that we are all faking it much more than anyone would care to admit. He writes with wit and wisdom about the vain anxiety of being exposed as frauds in our professions, cads in our loves, and hypocrites to our creeds. He finds, however, that we are more than mere fools for wanting so badly to look good to ourselves and others. Sometimes, when we are faking it, our vanity leads to virtue, and we actually achieve something worthy of esteem and praise William Ian Miller is the Thomas G. Long Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School. He has also taught at Harvard, Yale, Chicago, and the Universities of Bergen and Tel Aviv. His previous books include The Mystery of Courage (Harvard University Press, 2000) and The Anantomy of Disgust (Harvard University Press, 1997).
Download Description:
This book is about the intrusive fear that we may not be what we appear to be, or worse, that we may be only what we appear to be and nothing more. It's about the worry of being exposed as frauds in our profession, cads in our loves, as less than virtuously motivated actors when we are being agreeable, charitable, or decent. Why do we so often mistrust the motives of our own good deeds, thinking them fake good deeds, though the beneficiary of them gives us full credit? We know that many roles are supposed to be nothing more than fakery of a sort, playable with one hand tied behind one's back; we know that virtue itself cuts all kinds of deals with a benign form of hypocrisy that keeps us polite, kind, and acting properly. This book is about the roles we play and our anxieties of authenticity.
Date: 2005-06-04 Rating: 5
Review:
Great stuff
Although at times a bit overly cynical for my tastes, this was a highly entertaining read. It was erudite, witty, and very, very originally observant of human behavior and motivation. I recognized myself throughout, sometimes painfully so and sometimes amusingly so. I especially enjoyed the skewering of academic fakery, surely the most profoundly comical of all forms. A great read.
Date: 2004-09-17 Rating: 4
Review:
Fascinating Food for Thought
The reader is impressed with author Miller's wide familiarity with Western literature (I had sold Jane Austen short)in making his points as well as his ability to employ an -wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved-ytical legal mind to question "conventional wisdom" - even taking on Jesus's teachings in this regard. Miller's willingness to examine his own motives and inclinations to "fake it" are refreshing. Such self examination gives the book a sense of legitimacy and veracity. I would have liked to see more in-depth discussion of the the search for the "self." Still, the book has value as a guide to establishing (and recognizing) authenticity - an important characteristic of mental health. By the end of the book, I was getting a slight sense of a parsing of the subject a bit too finely - like the Chaucer character he mentioned who could divide flatulence into parts for -wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved-ysis. But this effort is much more than hot air or showing off. I left it with valuable insights into myself, and Professor Miller.
Date: 2004-01-17 Rating: 5
Review:
Insightful and witty
The unique genius of Professor Miller's work lies not in his ability to give new information to the reader. Indeed, most of his observations are instantly recognized by any perceptive reader as being things he or she already knew about the world. The genius of Faking It, as with his other works, is his ability to recognize fundamental truths that most people never think about at all, or would prefer not to, and to organize these truths into a coherent system by which human behavior can be -wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved-yzed and understood.
I strongly recommend this book!
Date: 2003-11-25 Rating: 5
Review:
Wonderfully Learned and Perspicacious
William Ian Miller's Faking it is a wonderfully learned and perspicacious excursion through the craggy terrain of social pretense and role playing. Through skilful and charming deployment of his wry wit, relentlessly honest powers of observation, and superhuman depth and breadth of knowledge Miller teaches us almost as much about intellectual history, Jane Austen, and The Bible as he teaches us about ourselves. Those who are persnickety about keeping up appearances of authenticity may find many of Miller's insights about our powers and propensities as charlatans and posers to be better left uncovered, many of the embarrassing secrets Miller lets out to be better kept in the bag. But from his searing interpretations of Jesus' teachings on hypocrisy, to his musings about how anxiety provoking it would be to converse with Hamlet, to his beautifully crafted and original discussion of the fakery of apology, Miller never fails to delight and illuminate. He is dazzling in his performances as literary critic, historian, philosopher, comedian and story teller. Whether he is faking this remarkable facility in so many roles really doesn't matter. He entertains, enlightens, persuades and provokes us either way.
Solomon Frye
Toronto, Ontario.
Date: 2003-11-12 Rating: 5
Review:
A compelling and insightful view of society
A cogent and well-written essay on the layers of falsity in society. The examples presented of real-life situations focus the abstract into a more tangible and personal level, forcing the reader to reexamine how he or she is and has been "faking it". It isn't just another sociological essay; it is an interdisplinary -wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved-ysis of our society that incorporates philosophy, literature, theater, pop-culture, history and sociology. "Faking It" is a must read for anyone who has ever questioned their actions or felt alienated by their attempts to self--wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved--wordremoved-yze. I'm not paying lip service or faking my appreciation- it is a truly provacative work. Kudos.