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...

Naturalization of the Soul charts the development of the concepts of soul and self in Western thought, from Plato to the present. It fills an important gap in intellectual history by being the first book to emphasize the enormous intellectual transformation in the eighteenth century, when the religious 'soul' was replaced first by a philosophical 'self' and then by a scientific 'mind'. The authors show that many supposedly contemporary theories of the self were actually discussed in the eighteenth century, and recognize the status of William Hazlitt as one of the most important...

Naturalization of the Soul charts the development of the concepts of soul and self in Western thought, from Plato to the present. It emphasizes the enormous intellectual transformation in the 18th century, when the religious soul was replaced first by a philosophical self and then by a scientific mind. The authors show that many supposedly contemporary theories of the self were actually discussed in the 18th century, and recognise the status of William Hazlitt as one of the most important Personal Identity theorists of the British Enlightenment, for his direct relevance to contemporary...

Personal Identity brings together the most important readings on personal identity theory.

• Brings together 13 of the most important readings on personal identity theory.
  
• Includes a detailed introductory historical essay, tracing the origins of personal identity theory.
  
• Features essays by David Lewis, Bernard Williams, Derek Parfit, and Robert Nozick.
  
• Describes the revolutionary shift from the "internal relations" view of personal identity to the "external relations" view.
  
• Includes a discussion...

Personal Identity brings together the most important readings on personal identity theory.

• Brings together 13 of the most important readings on personal identity theory.
  
• Includes a detailed introductory historical essay, tracing the origins of personal identity theory.
  
• Features essays by David Lewis, Bernard Williams, Derek Parfit, and Robert Nozick.
  
• Describes the revolutionary shift from the "internal relations" view of personal identity to the "external relations" view.
  
• Includes a discussion...

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...