At the heart of Douglas’s philosophy is a quiet form of rebellion: a refusal to believe that meaning must come from self-assertion. He invites us to imagine a kind of wisdom that grows from self-forgetting, not self-building—a view that echoes both mystical traditions and contemporary critiques of social media identity culture. By integrating Eastern and Western perspectives, he reframes “escaping the self” not as nihilism but as a pathway to empathy, clarity, and creative openness.

In this sense, Against Identity is both philosophical and deeply human. It challenges readers to see how the desire to be seen—to define ourselves—is bound up with the systems that limit us. And yet, Douglas writes not with cynicism but with hope: that by learning to let go of identity, we might rediscover something more fluid, playful, and compassionate in what it means to be human. 🌿

His recent book, Against Identity: The Wisdom of Escaping the Self (Penguin, 2025), is a striking critique of our age’s obsession with identity. Douglas argues that while the modern world treats “identity” as a moral and political ideal, it often functions as a cage—trapping people in fixed categories and divisive narratives. Drawing on thinkers like Zhuangzi, Spinoza, and René Girard, he suggests that genuine freedom lies not in asserting who we are, but in learning to loosen our grip on the self. This is not a denial of individuality, but an invitation to move lightly—to see ourselves as dynamic and relational rather than rigidly defined.

Read more: https://axdouglas.com