In Search of the Soul: A Philosophical Essay

by John Cottingham

Overview

How our beliefs about the soul have developed through the ages, and why an understanding of it still matters today

The concept of the soul has been a recurring area of exploration since ancient times. What do we mean when we talk about finding our soul, how do we know we have one, and does it hold any relevance in today’s scientifically and technologically dominated society? From Socrates and Augustine to Darwin and Freud, In Search of the Soul takes readers on a concise, accessible journey into the origins of the soul in Western philosophy and culture, and examines how the idea has developed throughout history to the present. Touching on literature, music, art, and theology, John Cottingham illustrates how, far from being redundant in contemporary times, the soul attunes us to the importance of meaning and value, and experience and growth. A better understanding of the soul might help all of us better understand what it is to be human.

Cottingham delves into the evolution of our thoughts about the soul through landmark works—including those of Aristotle, Plato, and Descartes. He considers the nature of consciousness and subjective experience, and discusses the psychoanalytic view that large parts of the human psyche are hidden from direct conscious awareness. He also reflects on the mysterious and universal longing for transcendence that is an indelible part of our human makeup. Looking at the soul’s many dimensions—historical, moral, psychological, and spiritual—Cottingham makes a case for how it exerts a powerful pull on all of us.

In Search of the Soul is a testimony to how the soul remains a profoundly significant aspect of human flourishing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691234038
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	04/12/2022
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	1,065,592
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

John Cottingham is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading, Professor of Philosophy of Religion at Roehampton University, and an Honorary Fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford. His many books include How to Believe, The Spiritual Dimension, and On the Meaning of Life.

Table of Contents

Foreword and Acknowledgements ix

1 Humanity in Quest of the Soul 1

The Risk of Loss 1

Dimensions of Soul 6

The Soul and Human Nature 14

The Soul and Moral Integration 18

But Why the Soul? 25

2 The Evolution of the Soul 33

What Is the Soul? 33

Out of This World? 38

From Souls to Ghosts 45

Descartes and the Shrinking Soul 49

Cartesian Automata and the Creativity of Thought 53

The Soul-Body Unit and Descartes's Trialism 59

The Ethical Implications of Human Embodiment 64

3 Soul, Science, and Subjectivity 70

Objective Science and Subjective Experience 70

Consciousness: Illusion or Irreducible Reality? 75

The Panpsychist Turn 80

Finding a Place for Consciousness 84

The Domain of the Soul 90

4 The Partly Hidden Soul 100

From Soul-Searching to Self-Fashioning 100

The Opacity of the Soul and Psychic Integration 106

The Depths of the Psyche 111

The Soul's Hidden Yearning for God 118

5 The Soul and the Transcendent 126

Reaching Forward to the Transcendent 126

Natural versus Supernatural: The Unhelpful Contrast 133

Immortal Longings and the Care of the Soul: From Metaphysics to Praxis 141

Transcendence and Our Human Destiny 149

Bibliography 159

Index 169

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The great strength of In Search of the Soul is that it roots thinking about the soul in our shared human experience, especially as it has been expressed by poets. While this book provides a valuable guide to traditional discussions about the soul, together with a careful assessment of modern scientific understandings, it especially resonates with our wish to make sense of life and our desire to reach out beyond ourselves to some ideal of goodness."—Richard Harries, King’s College London

"This is a hugely enjoyable and impressive book. As fresh and thoughtful as it is erudite, it is beautifully written and elegantly argued. Full of depth and detail, In Search of the Soul makes a serious contribution to debates among experts, and is an illuminating guide for general readers."—Clare Carlisle, author of On Habit

"In Search of the Soul is a superb book, true to Cottingham’s intent to articulate a more humane manner of philosophizing than is found in much contemporary philosophy. In this aim he succeeds admirably—in his style, the nature and scope of the questions he asks, and the wide learning that he brings to the project."—Simon May, author of The Power of Cute

Editorial Reviews

"[A] lucid and illuminating book. . . . Cottingham’s short study explores fundamental questions more fully than many much longer volumes."—-John Gray, New Statesman

"I loved [this] erudite, bold, provocative, beautiful book."—-Jane O’Grady, Literary Review

"An enjoyable and illuminating read. Cottingham’s elegant account is sufficiently deep and detailed to contribute to debate among philosophers of religion, while retaining a clarity and energy that lend themselves to a broader readership."—-Ruby Guyatt, Times Higher Education

"[A] superb book. . . . There could be no better guide."—-Maximilian de Gaynesford, The Tablet

From the Publisher

"Wide-ranging and well-written."

Paradigm Explorer

02/01/2020

Modern scientific thought recognizes the human self as a material, mortal thing "inhabiting a tiny temporary speck of the vast cosmos." But, eschewing abstract, reductionist naturalism for a more humane philosophy, the esteemed British philosopher and Descartes scholar Cottingham (emeritus, Univ. Reading; King's College, London; How To Believe) argues that consciousness reveals something of great value, the soul or self as a "subjective centre of conscious reflective awareness." Over half way through the book Cottingham asks readers to be open to theism, with which—though it cannot be proven—many convictions about the soul click into place and make sense of naturalism's conundrums. Nonetheless, he stops short of endorsing immortality and finds "supernaturalism" an unhelpful concept, favoring instead an Aristotelian-inspired hylemorphism. VERDICT In the end, Cottingham's humane philosophy is like an enjoyable conversation with a friend about an important, personal topic. While nonreligious readers may be irritated by his theism, and religious readers will wish for a more vigorous embrace of a supernatural immortality, all will feel engaged by a warm and thoughtful scholar, always ready to draw inspiration from Romantic poets, early modern philosophers and thoughtful writers. Recommended.—Steve Young, McHenry Cty. Coll., Crystal Lake, IL

Library Journal