A Brief History of the Soul

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

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