Peter Tyler's new book, <i>The Pursuit of the Soul</i>, casts a wide net in pursuit of one over-arching question: Can the traditional soul-language of the ancient Greek philosophers, the New Testament, and the early Christian thinkers enter into productive dialogue with the post-Freudian psychoanalytic world? Or, more succinctly: Are there effective pre-modern answers to post-modern questions? Understanding the soul as the locus of performative discourse, Tyler illuminates thinkers from Plato to Ludwig Wittgenstein, Thomas Merton, and Edith Stein. Incisive and thought-provoking, this bravura survey promises to make a major contribution to a central issue of our time.

Bernard McGinn, University of Chicago, USA

Although "soul" is referred to by many today, from liturgists, poets and mystics to journalists, musicians and psychologists, few explore what soul is. The soul is frequently evoked, but we are often left in the dark as to its nature. Peter Tyler provides us with a seminal work which outlines the nature of soul, as this concept has been employed in scripture, catechesis, Platonic philosophy, late classical and early medieval theology, contemporary philosophy and psychoanalysis. This is an extremely useful and erudite book, which throws light on the historical representations of this elusive subject.

David Tacey, La Trobe University, Australia

In this important book, Peter Tyler gives us a sophisticated and subtle narrative of the varied and ambiguous languages of the soul in philosophy, Christianity and psychoanalysis, from Plato and Augustine to Ludwig Wittgenstein and Edith Stein. He brings to this story both rigorous analysis and a deep sense of what he calls "the poetic wonder of the unknowing soul".

Jane Shaw, Stanford University, USA