
The Power of Being a Subject
Transcending Myth and Machine
Matthew H. Bowker(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 1. September 2025
Book
Hardback
94 pages
978-1-041-04009-5 (ISBN)
Description
Amid countless prescriptive self-help manuals, The Power of Being a Subject: Transcending Myth and Machine emerges as a refreshing intellectual cornerstone in contemporary psychology and personal development literature.
Dr. Bowker dismantles the persistent "myth of human mechanics" - the flawed belief that individuals and their psyches "function" like computers or machines. He argues compellingly that authentic self-improvement demands embracing our full subjectivity, with all of its putative dysfunction, and recognizing our agency, creativity, and complexity. Through thoughtful exploration, readers learn how critical thinking, honesty, patience, and bravery can help them achieve deeper maturity and genuine freedom.
This is essential reading for those disillusioned with surface-level solutions and hungry for meaningful transformation.
Dr. Bowker dismantles the persistent "myth of human mechanics" - the flawed belief that individuals and their psyches "function" like computers or machines. He argues compellingly that authentic self-improvement demands embracing our full subjectivity, with all of its putative dysfunction, and recognizing our agency, creativity, and complexity. Through thoughtful exploration, readers learn how critical thinking, honesty, patience, and bravery can help them achieve deeper maturity and genuine freedom.
This is essential reading for those disillusioned with surface-level solutions and hungry for meaningful transformation.
Reviews / Votes
"In this honest, probing, and inspiring book, Dr. Matthew H. Bowker sheds light on a life of greater authenticity, bravery, and freedom. The Power of Being a Subject will be of interest to anyone yearning to transform legacies of trauma and suffering, escape from unconscious internal and societal forces and self-defeating patterns, and live a more creative and empathic life."Jeffrey B. Rubin, PhD, Psychoanalyst, American Institute of Psychoanalysis and Object Relations Institute
"This is fascinating study of subjectivity and its relation to one's self. It is also a powerful and moving account of Bowker's own struggle with subjectivity and its impact on both his personal and professional life. An intense and scholarly inquiry into this critical idea and what its pursuit means for our day-to-day lives, Bowker's book is a must read."
James M. Glass, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland, College Park
"Dr. Bowker's book is perhaps best described as an intimate 'travelogue,' something akin to an innerscape version of Mark Twain's remote journeys. Weaving ideas with personal reflections, Dr. Bowker takes an honest claim to the title of 'poet-philosopher' or 'philosopher-poet.' "
Dan Livney, PsyD, Psychologist in private practice
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
General, Postgraduate, and Undergraduate Advanced
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
275 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-041-04009-5 (9781041040095)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2025
Routledge
€31.49
Available for download

E-Book
09/2025
Routledge
€31.49
Available for download
Person
Matthew H. Bowker, PhD, is the author of more than 20 books and more than 40 papers on psychoanalysis and political theory. He teaches at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Content
Part I: Realities and Myths 1. States of Confusion 2. "Something Wrong" 3. The Fear of Freedom 4. The Great Machinery and the Myth of Human Mechanics 5. Realities 6. Subjects and Objects Part II: Critical Thinking Is Radical Thinking 7. What Is Critical Thinking? 8. Paradigms 9. Critical Thinking as a Set of Capacities 10. Resilience and Growing-up Experience 11. The Dilemma of Activation 12. The Dilemma of Teaching and the Solution of Facilitation Part III: Lessons in Subject-Activation: Honesty, Patience, and Bravery 13. Living and (Almost) Dying Honestly 14. Patience, Breaking, and Writing 15. Bravery and Working Through Subjectivity in Psychoanalysis Conclusion: Thinking, Happiness, and the Problem with Eckhart Tolle