Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This book traces the development of theories of the self and personal identity from the ancient Greeks to the present day. From Plato and Aristotle to Freud and Foucault, Raymond Martin and John Barresi explore the works of a wide range of thinkers and reveal the larger intellectual trends, controversies, and ideas that have revolutionized the way we think about ourselves.

The authors open with ancient Greece, where the ideas of Plato, Aristotle, and the materialistic atomists laid the groundwork for future theories. They then discuss the ideas of the church fathers and medieval and Renaissance philosophers, including St. Paul, Philo, Augustine, Aquinas, and Montaigne. In their coverage of the emergence of a new mechanistic conception of nature in the seventeenth century, Martin and Barresi note a shift away from religious and purely philosophical notions of self and personal identity to more scientific and social conceptions, a trend that has continued to the present day. They explore modern philosophy and psychology, including the origins of different traditions within each discipline, and explain both the theoretical relevance of feminism and gender and ethnic studies and also the ways that Derrida and other recent thinkers have challenged the very idea that a unified self or personal identity even exists.

Martin and Barresi cover a number of issues broached by philosophers and psychologists, such as the existence of a fixed and unchanging self and whether the concept of the soul has a use outside of religious contexts. They address the question of whether notions of the soul and the self are still viable in today's world. Together, they reveal the fascinating ways in which great thinkers have grappled with these and other questions and the astounding impact their ideas have had on the development of self-understanding in the west.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 1)
• I From Myth to Science (p. 9)
• II Individualism and Subjectivity (p. 29)
• III People of the Book (p. 39)
• IV Resurrected Self (p. 55)
• V The Stream Divides (p. 75)
• VI Aristotelian Synthesis (p. 93)
• VII Care of the Soul (p. 109)
• VIII Mechanization of Nature (p. 123)
• IX Naturalizing the Soul (p. 142)
• X Philosophy of Spirit (p. 171)
• XI Science of Human Nature (p. 201)
• XII Before the Fall (p. 229)
• XIII Paradise Lost (p. 255)
• XIV Everything That Happened and What it Means (p. 290)
• Notes (p. 307)
• References (p. 347)
• Index of Names (p. 363)
• Subject Index (p. 373)

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Read the Introduction to The Rise and Fall of Soul and Self Excerpted from The Rise and Fall of Soul and Self: An Intellectual History of Personal Identity by Raymond Martin, John Barresi All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Martin (philosophy, Union Coll.; Self-Concern: An Experiential Approach to What Matters in Survival) and Barresi (psychology, Dalhousie Univ.; coauthor, Naturalization of the Soul: Self and Personal Identity in the Eighteenth Century) present a systematic history of the intellectual ideas of the soul and personal identity. Beginning with ancient Greek thought, the narrative uses numerous historical intellectuals to portray the development and role of these concepts in the Western mindset, chronologically progressing through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and into the modern era. One of the book's major strong points is the fluidity with which it examines the changes that the concept of soul underwent as Western thought moved from a primarily religious nature to a scientific one and the subsequent emergence of the concept of self over soul. The authors successfully describe the methodical fragmentation and fall of the idea of a unified self, finishing with an overview of the current state of philosophical and psychological thought on the subject. With plentiful useful notes and a full list of references; recommended for academic and larger public systems.-- Jason Moore, Madison Cty. Lib. Syst., MS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

CHOICE Review

"Know Thyself." These famous words from Socrates were embedded in, and continue to be the basis of, multiple traditions regarding the nature of self. The historical and contemporary discussion of this Socratic dictum brings with it rich cultural, religious, and philosophical tenets. Martin (philosophy, Union College) and Barresi (psychology, Dalhousie) offer a succinct but comprehensive history of the concept of self. Their work is uniquely successful in explaining why the currently raging debates regarding personhood, considered both synchronically and diachronically, have taken their present form. Moreover, the authors consider all major contributions to the theory of self (e.g., Heraclitus, Plato, Augustine, Montaigne, Descartes, Locke, Hume, James, Heidegger, Foucault) and many of the minor contributors (Epicharmus, Grosseteste, Pomponazzi, Bruno, and Fichte). In light of their findings, they conclude this important work with two "hopeful possibilities": to shed the illusion of a unified self may not only result in a healthy pluralism, but also rightfully diminish an egoistic concern about self, thereby enhancing a more encompassing, holistic sense of organism. Excellent notes, index, and bibliography. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. H. Storl Augustana College (IL)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Raymond Martin is professor and chair of the department of philosophy at Union College. He is the author of several books, including Self-Concern: An Experiential Approach to What Matters in Survival
John Barresi is retired professor of psychology and philosophy at Dalhousie University and the coauthor (with Raymond Martin) of Naturalization of the Soul: Self and Personal Identity in the Eighteenth Century