Are You Nobody?

by Paul Tournier, Viktor E. Frankl, Harry Levinson

"I believe that man will always experience the impulse to be human, will always feel a need to recover that in himself which is authentically human, to guard himself against becoming a machine. If he becomes a machine it is not the machine's fault but his own." - Paul Tournier

Who are you? Are you a nobody in society? Are you a thing? Are you the sum of your components?

Or are you a person?

Three dominant and destructive traits of our time are its collectivism, its use of men as objects, and its tendency to dissect us and diagnose our ills rather than treat us as persons. In such surroundings we face a radically different set of ethical situations. This group of essays points the way to new approaches as we struggle to maintain our integrity as persons in a dehumanized, automated world.

77 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Paul Tournier was a Swiss physician and author who had acquired a worldwide audience for his work in pastoral counselling. His ideas had a significant impact on the spiritual and psychosocial aspects of routine patient care, and he had been called the twentieth century's most famous Christian physician.

Reviews

[Oliver Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who’s exploring Christianity, I found this book be interesting. Arguing for individualism against collectivism in society through a Christian lens, to me, was compelling. All the essays but one come off as fairly sound on the first reading but the section concerning the mystery of sexuality can be off putting.
Sexuality has also been an interesting topic to me because it brought myself into this world and it will bring someone else into this world with my assistance. To even get to that point relationships must be cultivated and cared for. How to view and treat these relationships have drastically evolved in society at this current time. There is no more as strong a focus on monogamy as there once was. Polygamy and having various partners are no longer looked down upon. This section covers how these changes affect the sexes and how both are negatively affected for different reasons. Of course, this is through the Christian lens and be disagreeable to some.
If I venture further into Christianity, I may reread this and come out with different perspectives. It was a very short read so I’d see no problem in reading it again.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays, mostly originally from the Christian century, 50 years ago. Authors include Paul Tournier, Viktor Frankl, Harry Levison, Helmut Thielicke, Paul Lehmann, and Samuel Miller. They argue against collectivist utilitarianism, objectification of people and diagnosis of ills rather than cultivating the whole person. Some good stuff here, but dated. Tournier is properly focused on persons but is not pessimistic enough about technology, or are current moment. Frankl talks about logotherapy and the need to pursue meaning. Levison was Meh. Thielicke was fairly sexist and binary in his treatment of human sexuality. Miller I liked.