The idea that the brain is the seat of the self and holds the key to the mystery of consciousness went unchallenged in mainstream thought for almost a century. But there are signs materialism is losing its grip — and so is the related assumption that reality reveals itself to human perception. In its place, some thinkers are returning to the idea of the soul to explain the self and consciousness. But critics argue this is repeating old mistakes. Join rising star and author of On the Memory of the Soul, Victoria Trumbull, and standard-bearer for post-analytic thinking who called time on linguistic realism, philosopher Hilary Lawson, as they ask whether the soul is a viable answer to an age that is moving beyond materialism.

“Hilary Lawson shows himself to be a latter-day 'metaphysician' on the grand scale.” – Alan Montefiore

“[Victoria’s] intricate study tackles fundamental questions about selfhood, identity and transcendence.” – John Cottingham