A Brief History of the Soul (eBook)

Stewart Goetz, Charles Taliaferro (Autoren)

eBook Download: PDF

2011 | 1. Auflage
240 Seiten
John Wiley & Sons (Verlag)
978-1-4443-9591-4 (ISBN)

Infos

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

Autor

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.

Inhalt

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

Rezensionen

"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)



"From Homer's dream-demons to contemporary MRI research, the subtle
and varied expression of mental life has been an obstacle to the
claims of physicalism. A Brief History of the Soul takes a
now formidably challenged position. The clarity and fairness of the
exposition are exemplary, moving the reader from era to era, and
leaving little doubt but that, as "soul" has a rich philosophical
history, so too is it likely to have a robust future."

--Daniel N. Robinson, Philosophy Faculty, Oxford
University

"Brief or not, this book provides a lucid account of central
views of the soul in Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary
philosophy. The authors skillfully interact with their subject
matter, consider physicalist views and objections with fairness and
critical clarity, and address mind-body dualism as it has actually
been held by its best proponents. The result is that a position
that is often wrongly despised on shaky grounds gets a fair and
accurate hearing and defense. I highly recommend this excellent
book, and look forward to using it."

--Keith E. Yandell, Julius R. Weinberg Professor,
University of Wisconsin-Madison

"A Brief History of the Soul accomplishes two important
goals: It provides a concise history of the soul without treating
that history as anachronistic, and it constantly relates its topics
to contemporary issues in philosophy of mind. I enthusiastically
recommend it, and will use it in my own philosophy of mind
courses."

--J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of
Philosophy, Biola University

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.2.2011
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Erkenntnistheorie / Wissenschaftstheorie
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Geschichte der Philosophie
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Philosophie der Neuzeit
• Schlagworte: Geistesphilosophie • Philosophie • Philosophy • Philosophy of mind • Philosophy of Religion • Religionsphilosophie
• ISBN-10: 1-4443-9591-2 / 1444395912
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4443-9591-4 / 9781444395914