A Critical Review of D.A. Masolo's Self and Community in a Changing World 1

philosophy: he is also a rigorous critic of current trends in the field. His latest book, Self and Community in a Changing World, explores the relationship between two concepts that have been the subject of socio-political philosophy for more than two millennia. The American Heritage dictionary tells us that “self ” designates “The total, essential, or particular being of a person; the individual”. The same dictionary states that one of the meanings of the term “community ” is “A group of people having common interests. ” However, this latter definition is rather vague, and can be significantly aided by Heywood (2004), who notes that the term “community ” usually suggests a group within which there are strong ties and a collective identity. A genuine community is therefore distinguished by the bonds of comradeship, loyalty and duty. In that sense, community refers to the social roots of individual identit