Sorting out the selves

There are few pleasures more reassuring than that of disagreement with some of the contents of a book that is closely argued, extremely well-written and clearly the work of a highly civilised, cultivated and decent man. Such a pleasure is reassuring because, in a hate-filled world, it reminds us that identity of opinion, which makes for dullness, is not necessary for the establishment of high regard.

In this short and bracing book, Professor Sen inquires into the question of human identity, and the practical consequences of the various answers that may be given to it. The question is of the greatest possible urgency in the modern world for obvious reasons, and Professor Sen’s view is informed by, if not the outright consequence of, an unforgettable childhood experience: during the violence that preceded partition in Bengal, he witnessed a fatally injured Muslim seek refuge in his parents’ garden. The man’s attackers viewed him as a Muslim and nothing else, and since Muslims were their enemy, they felt entitled, perhaps even duty-bound, to do him to death.