Daily Life Lessons with John Cottingham: On Understanding The Soul
This week, we spoke with author of, In Search of the Soul: A Philosophical Essay, John Cottingham, a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and an Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford. In his latest book, he explores how the soul remains a profoundly significant aspect of human flourishing.
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 day.
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. Read chapter 1 of In Search of The Soul here.
Listen to John's Daily Life Lesson as he explains how our beliefs about the soul have developed through the ages, and why an understanding of it still matters today.
