The Evolution of the Soul

Richard Swinburne

Claredon Press, 1986 - Religion - 323 pages

Human beings have evolved from animals, and animals from inanimate matter; but what has evolved is qualitatively different from the inanimate matter from which it began. Both humans and the higher animals have a mental life of sensation, thought, purpose, desire, and belief. It can be argued that these mental states, while interacting with the body, are distinct from it: they are states of a soul. In this study, Swinburne examines the various parts of the mental life, the concept of the soul (both animal and human), and the products of the human soul--logical thought, moral beliefs, and free will.

What people are saying

Review: The Evolution of the Soul

User Review  - Danny - Goodreads

Really good book. I would give it 5 stars if it were not for his torturous prose! Very interesting insights, whether he intended to or not, concerning moral formation.

Review: The Evolution of the Soul

User Review  - Marcos - Goodreads

In a nutshell, this is a philosophy book with a focus on a theory of ontology. It can be very technical, but it makes a lot of great insight for the Christian Worldview for deeper understanding of dualistic metaphysics.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• PARTI THE MENTAL LIFE: 17
• Sensations: 21

About the author

Richard Swinburne was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Keele; Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion, University of Oxford, and Fellow of the British Academy. He is the author of many books on the nature and justification of religious belief, and on other areas of
philosophy including the philosophy of mind and epistemology.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Evolution of the Soul; Gifford lectures
• Author: Richard Swinburne
• Publisher: Claredon Press, 1986
• Original from: the University of Virginia
• Digitized: Jun 5, 2008
• ISBN: 0198249152, 9780198249153
• Length: 323 pages
• Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics / General; Philosophy / Ethics & Moral Philosophy; Philosophy / Movements / Humanism; Psychology / Cognitive Psychology; Religion / Theology