A Brief History of the Soul

As many readers will be aware, the soul is deeply unfashionable, with books describing the trajectory from soul to self to brain as if the notion is an outdated superstition. This book gives a thorough account of philosophical concepts of the soul, beginning with Greek thought, then moving on to the mediaeval period and what is called Continental thought, with over 30 pages devoted to Descartes. The authors draw on both original texts and authoritative commentaries. The next chapter deals with the empiricists, including Joseph Butler and Thomas Reid, before moving on to Kant. There is a lengthy discussion of the vexed problem of soul-body interaction before a survey of views of the soul in contemporary science and challenges to the soul. This covers neuroscience as well as scientific methodology in considerable detail. Generally, the soul's existence in philosophical terms is affirmed on the basis of first person experience. Challenges include the ghost in the machine idea and the use of Occam's Razor in relation to the identity question. There are some notable omissions, with no mention of Sir John Eccles and, more seriously, no reference at all to the large literature on survival and reincarnation, all of which has an important bearing on the nature and existence of the soul. So the book remains firmly within orthodox philosophy and science, although within these limits it can be highly recommended.