A Brief History Of The Soul

• 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

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).

Introduction.

1 The Soul in Greek Thought.

2 The Soul in Medieval Christian Thought.

3 The Soul in Continental Thought.

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

5 The Problem of Soul–Body Causal Interaction.

6 The Soul and Contemporary Science.

7 Contemporary Challenges to the Soul.

8 Thoughts on the Future of the Soul.

Bibliography.

Index.