Brief History of the Soul

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.

“Although they may well have their own agenda, Goetz and Taliaferro not only provide an extremely useful chronological account of how the concept of the soul developed, they also illuminate the questions it was meant to solve, and the way these are not yet satisfactorily laid to rest.”  (Times Higher Education Supplement, 5 July 2012)"This is a courageous book: it takes up and defends a position to which the current intellectual climate it generally hostile, namely that human beings are embodied souls. The book's very title throws down a challenge to the philosophical establishment. Nonetheless, even the most resolute enemies of dualism will welcome Stuart Goetz and Charles Taliaferro's overview of historical and contemporary positions on the existence and nature of the soul." (Anthony Kenny, The Times Literary Supplement, December 16, 2011). "So the book remains firmly within orthodox philosophy and science, although within these limits it can be highly recommended." (Network Review, 1 June 2011)"All this, as well as being useful in its own right, brings us properly prepared for a serious discussion and robust response to the challenges posted to the soul by the supposed conclusions of modern science. . . An excellent read." (New Directions, 1 July 2011)

• Acknowledgments ixIntroduction 11 The Soul in Greek Thought 62 The Soul in Medieval Christian Thought 303 The Soul in Continental Thought 654 The Soul in Locke, Butler, Reid, Hume, and Kant 1055 The Problem of Soul–Body Causal Interaction 1316 The Soul and Contemporary Science 1527 Contemporary Challenges to the Soul 1828 Thoughts on the Future of the Soul 202Bibliography 216Index 225