A Brief History of the Soul

by Goetz, Stewart; Taliaferro, Charles

• ISBN13: 9781405196338
• ISBN10: 1405196335
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-05-02
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This book is a clear and concise history of the soul in western philosophy, from Plato to cutting-edge contemporary work in philosophy of mind.- Packed with arguments for and against a range of different, historically significant philosophies of the soul- Addresses the essential issues, including mind-body interaction, the causal closure of the physical world, and the philosophical implications of the brain sciences for the soul's existence- Includes coverage of theories from key figures, such as Plato, Aquinas, Locke, Hume, and Descartes- Unique in combining the history of ideas and the development of a powerful case for a non-reductionist, non-materialist account of the soul

Author Biography

Stewart Goetz is Ross Frederick Wicks Distinguished Professor in Philosophy and Religion at Ursinus College. He has written extensively on the philosophy of mind and action theory and his books include Freedom, Teleology, and Evil (2008), Naturalism (with Charles Taliaferro, 2008), and The Soul Hypothesis (edited with Mark Baker, 2011).

Charles Taliaferro is Professor of Philosophy at St. Olaf College. He is on the editorial board of the American Philosophical Quarterly, Religious Studies, Sophia, and Philosophy Compass. His books include Consciousness and the Mind of God (1994, 2004), Naturalism (with Stewart Goetz, 2008), A Companion to Philosophy of Religion, 2nd edition (edited with Paul Draper, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), and The Image in Mind (with Jil Evans, 2010).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The Soul in Greek Thought

The Soul in Medieval Christian Thought

The Soul in Continental Thought

Locke, Butler, Reid, and Hume

SoulâÇôBody Causal Interaction

The Soul and Contemporary Science

Contemporary Challenges to the Soul

Thoughts on the Future of the Soul

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