Faking It

by William Ian Miller

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Author: William Ian Miller

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Paperback:
ISBN 10: 0521613701
ISBN 13: 978-0521613705

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).

Review

"William Ian Miller...scratches the itch of authenticity and relieves the ache of morality with delicious determination in Faking It."
--The Boston Globe

"Faking It is a fascinating book that explores, among other things, the anxiety, tension, and self-doubt that we all experience as we try to play certain social roles. Faking It is written in a clear and accessible way and would be of interest to anyone curious about deception, insincerity, authenticity, and human nature."
--Philosophy in Review

"...learned and deliciously discursive..." anyone curious about deception, insincerity, authenticity, and human nature."
--The Independent

"Faking It is essentially an intellectual thrill ride, complete with scholarly twists and comic spins -- certainly worth the price of admission." anyone curious about deception, insincerity, authenticity, and human nature."
--California Literary Review

Advance praise: "Wonderfully wry, satirical, comical, and of course extremely widely read, he's apparently all-knowing about every low personal dodge by which we maneuver to appear better in the eyes of others than we really are--in love, in church, in bed, in the classroom... None of our common low bluffing and double-bluffing, our devoted passing ourselves off as what we're not, our making of false claims and laying of false trails about ourselves, none of our perpetual and practiced scams and schemes and dodges for gaining some personal advantage, escape Miller's unrelenting scrutiny. This is ethical-personal investigating for everyday consideration and of the most biddable and readable kind. One turns the page in a mounting agony of embarrassed recognition - exposed, found out, guilty as charged on every count. What a glorious delight of a book for the ethical self-
--Valentine Cunningham, Oxford University

"In this refreshing book, Miller ... entertains us with stories of adults who overestimate their sexual prowess and children who find out that saying "please" doesn't buy them what they were told it would. In short, he finds us all engaged in fakery much of the time.... Highly recommended for academic and large public libraries."
--Library Journal

"Intelligent, articulate...its most compelling feature is the inexorable pull of its author's Jewish identity...the book as a whole makes a fine introduction to that voice, and to the 'ancient tradition of moral writing' that integrates serious thinking with everyday contexts."
--Publishers Weekly

"William Ian Miller's "Faking It" (Cambridge University Press) is a brilliant, insightful and very funny study of the tendency to lay claim to more power. knowledge and authority than you really have."
--NEWSDAY

"Miller...has written an erudite, accessible and relentlessly lively book."
--San Diego Union Tribune

Book 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. It is about roles and identity and our engagement in the roles we play, our doubts about our identities amidst the flux of roles, and thus about anxieties of authenticity.

About the Author

William Ian Miller is the Thomas G. Long Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School. He has also taught at Harvard University, Massachusetts, Yale University, Connecticut, the University of Chicago, the University of Bergen and Tel Aviv University. Professor Miller holds a JD and a PhD in English, both earned at Yale University. His various books, including most recently The Mystery of Courage (2000) and The Anatomy of Disgust (1997), have enjoyed critical acclaim throughout the world.

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