Self-Confidence

September 15, 2019
Confidence in one's self requires embracing life's essential mystery. French philosopher and novelist Pépin, who has extolled beauty, joy, and failure in previous books of popular philosophy, now offers a slim volume on self-confidence, broadly conceived as "confidence in others, confidence in one's own capabilities, and confidence in life." Although providing no evidence, the author is certain that we are all experiencing a crisis of self-confidence, caused by our loss of "direct contact with things" and even with "pinpointing our profession." In one of many sweeping generalizations, he asserts, "being as super-connected as we are puts us all at a remove from basic doing and leaves us few concrete opportunities for developing confidence." Pépin cites several individuals who seem to exude confidence--Madonna and Serena Williams, for example--to support his contention that having someone who trusts and encourages us builds confidence; so does honing a skill. "Among great artists," he writes, echoing Malcolm Gladwell, "confidence comes first and above all from constant, devoted, almost obsessional practice." Pépin, though, is interested in more than confidence in one's ability. Through perfecting her skill as a tennis player, Williams discovered "what kind of woman she was. She understood she was the kind of person who becomes her truest self in moments of adversity." As the author expands on his theme, confidence transcends its connection to mastery to mean "surrender" to "cosmos, God, or life." This spiritual awakening allows us to respond authentically to nature and to beauty, trusting our feelings, with no need for experts' validation. "Each time we recognize that something is beautiful without reference to external criteria, we are gaining confidence in ourselves," Pépin writes. "But beauty gives us more than that: it fills us with life force and helps us find our courage." Although drawing on many canonical writers and philosophers--Emerson, Nietzsche, Spinoza, Kant, and others--Pépin's message is common to most self-help books: We must celebrate ourselves, "not relative to the value of others." We are each "solitaire diamonds." A well-meaning paean to self-affirmation.

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October 21, 2019
Novelist and philosopher Pépin (Philosophers on the Couch) offers not the philosophy promised by the subtitle, but generic tips based on lessons garnered from a random smattering of pop culture figures, athletes, and philosophers, as well as many others, both famous and not. The author unifies these disparate examples (including Sigmund Freud, and Søren Kierkegaard, Madonna, and Serena Williams) with his own memories of developing self-confidence as a student and teacher. The result ends up being a list of anodyne directives, such as “establish relations with different and inspiring people,” “develop your abilities to the greatest extent possible,” “pay less attention to the voices around ,” and “‘become what you are’—and do it before you die.” Such suggestions can be intriguing, but they do not grapple with the murkiness of self-confidence as a concept. For example, commandments such as “stay true to your desire” are likely too vague to be of use to readers looking for practical solutions to quandaries of self-confidence. Instead of grappling with modern research into self-worth, the book posits self-confidence as a simple, direct destination. Pépin’s punchy, aphoristic advice will only appeal to readers who also believe that self-confidence is an “alchemy” to be conjured.

January 10, 2020

Presenting a more nuanced understanding of self-confidence, philosopher and novelist Pépin (Philosophers on the Couch) asserts that to achieve it we must trust the process of our interaction with other people and life itself; that only through our experiences with one another and being in awe of our tiny place in the great cosmos do we truly develop a stronger sense of self. Love from others, engaging in tasks we wish to find improvement in, and admiration for those who have gone before and lived life on their own terms are some of the ideas touched on in this slim book. Though Pépin refrains from offering an explicit manual for boosting one's self-esteem, many tips may be gleaned, as he centers discussions on three main components: confidence in relationships, trust in oneself, and trust in our very existence.

VERDICT A thoughtful read for anyone seeking the philosophical underpinnings of self-confidence, while wishing to avoid psychological exercises that feel either too simplistic or too overwhelming to implement.--Jennifer M. Schlau, Elgin Community Coll., IL

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