A Brief History of the Soul

Reviews / Votes

"Although they may well have their own agenda, Goetz andTaliaferro not only provide an extremely useful chronologicalaccount of how the concept of the soul developed, they alsoilluminate the questions it was meant to solve, and the way theseare not yet satisfactorily laid to rest." (TimesHigher Education Supplement, 5 July 2012)"This is a courageous book: it takes up and defends a position towhich the current intellectual climate it generally hostile, namelythat human beings are embodied souls. The book's very title throwsdown a challenge to the philosophical establishment. Nonetheless,even the most resolute enemies of dualism will welcome Stuart Goetzand Charles Taliaferro's overview of historical and contemporarypositions 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 andscience, although within these limits it can be highlyrecommended." (Network Review, 1 June 2011) "All this, as well as being useful in its own right, brings usproperly prepared for a serious discussion and robust response tothe challenges posted to the soul by the supposed conclusions ofmodern science. . . An excellent read." (New Directions, 1 July2011) "From Homer's dream-demons to contemporary MRI research, the subtleand varied expression of mental life has been an obstacle to theclaims of physicalism. A Brief History of the Soul takes anow formidably challenged position. The clarity and fairness of theexposition are exemplary, moving the reader from era to era, andleaving little doubt but that, as "soul" has a rich philosophicalhistory, so too is it likely to have a robust future." --Daniel N. Robinson, Philosophy Faculty, OxfordUniversity "Brief or not, this book provides a lucid account of centralviews of the soul in Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Contemporaryphilosophy. The authors skillfully interact with their subjectmatter, consider physicalist views and objections with fairness andcritical clarity, and address mind-body dualism as it has actuallybeen held by its best proponents. The result is that a positionthat is often wrongly despised on shaky grounds gets a fair andaccurate hearing and defense. I highly recommend this excellentbook, 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 importantgoals: It provides a concise history of the soul without treatingthat history as anachronistic, and it constantly relates its topicsto contemporary issues in philosophy of mind. I enthusiasticallyrecommend it, and will use it in my own philosophy of mindcourses." --J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor ofPhilosophy, Biola University