A Brief History of the Soul / Edition 1

by Stewart Goetz, Charles Taliaferro

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405196321
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	05/02/2011
Series:	Brief Histories of Philosophy , #3
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	513,951
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Stewart Goetz is Ross Frederick Wicks Distinguished Professor in Philosophy and Religion at Ursinus College.

Charles Taliaferro is Professor of Philosophy at St. Olaf College.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 The Soul in Greek Thought 6

2 The Soul in Medieval Christian Thought 30

3 The Soul in Continental Thought 65

4 The Soul in Locke, Butler, Reid, Hume, and Kant 105

5 The Problem of Soul–Body Causal Interaction 131

6 The Soul and Contemporary Science 152

7 Contemporary Challenges to the Soul 182

8 Thoughts on the Future of the Soul 202

Bibliography 216

Index 225