# How to Be Multiple: The Philosophy of Twins - Hardcover

by **Helena de Bres** (Author), **Julia de Bres** (Illustrator)

**Philosopher Helena de Bres uses the curious experience of being a twin as a lens for reconsidering our place in the world, with illustrations by her identical twin Julia.**

_Wait, are you_ you _or the other one? Which is the evil twin? Have you ever switched partners?_ _Can you read each other's mind?_ Twins get asked the weirdest questions by strangers, loved ones, even themselves. For Helena de Bres, a twin and philosophy professor, these questions are closely tied to some of philosophy's most unnerving unknowns. _What makes someone themself rather than someone else? Can one person be housed in two bodies? What does perfect love look like? Can we really act freely? At what point does wonder morph into objectification?_

Accompanied by her twin Julia's drawings, Helena uses twinhood to rethink the limits of personhood, consciousness, love, freedom, and justice. With her inimitably candid, wry voice, she explores the long tradition of twin representations in art, myth, and popular culture; twins' peculiar social standing; and what it's really like to be one of two. With insight, hope, and humor, she argues that our reactions to twins reveal our broader desires and fears about selfhood, fate, and human connection, and that reflecting on twinhood can help each of us-twins and singletons alike-recognize our own multiplicity, and approach life with greater curiosity, imagination, and courage.

### Author Biography

**Helena de Bres** is a professor of philosophy at Wellesley College, where she researches and teaches ethics, philosophy of literature, and political theory. Her essays and humor writing have appeared in _The Point_, the _New York Times_, the _Los Angeles Review of Books_, _McSweeney's Internet Tendency_, and elsewhere. Her book _Artful Truths: The Philosophy of Memoir_ was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2021. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.  
**Julia de Bres** is a freelance illustrator and a senior lecturer in linguistics at Massey University. She analyzes how minority groups use language to resist social inequalities and illustrates the results of her research. She lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

**Number of Pages:** 272

**Dimensions:** 1.1 x 8.2 x 5.7 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** November 07, 2023

## Details

- **Price:** 28.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- How to Be Multiple: The Philosophy of Twins - Hardcover

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