Mental Disorders in Ancient Philosophy (Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind Book 13)

This book offers a comprehensive study of the views of ancient philosophers on mental disorders. Relying on the original Greek and Latin textual sources, the author describes and analyses how the ancient philosophers explained mental illness and its symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, strange fears and inappropriate moods, and how they accounted for the respective roles of body and mind in such disorders. Also considered are ethical questions relating to mental illness, approaches to treatment and the position of mentally ill people in societies of the times. The volume opens with a historical overview that examines ancient medical accounts of mental illness, from Hippocrates' famous Sacred Disease to late antiquity medical authors. Separate chapters interpret in detail the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Galen and the Stoics, and a final chapter summarises the views of various strains of Scepticism, the Epicurean school and the Middle and Neo-Platonists. Offering an important and useful contribution to the study of ancient philosophy, psychology and medicine, This volume sheds new light on the history of mental illness, and presents a new angle on ancient philosophical psychology. Read more... Abstract: Mental Disorders in Ancient Philosophy Read more... "This book offers a comprehensive study of the views of ancient philosophers on mental disorders. Relying on the original Greek and Latin textual sources, the author describes and analyses how the ancient philosophers explained mental illness and its symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, strange fears and inappropriate moods and how they accounted for the respective roles of body and mind in such disorders. Also considered are ethical questions relating to mental illness, approaches to treatment and the position of mentally ill people in societies of the times. The volume opens with a historical overview that examines ancient medical accounts of mental illness, from Hippocrates' famous Sacred Disease to late antiquity medical authors. Separate chapters interpret in detail the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Galen and the Stoics and a final chapter summarises the views of various strains of Scepticism, the Epicurean school and the Middle and Neo-Platonists. Offering an important and useful contribution to the study of ancient philosophy, psychology and medicine. This volume sheds new light on the history of mental illness and presents a new angle on ancient philosophical psychology."--Publisher's description "This book offers a comprehensive study of the views of ancient philosophers on mental disorders. Relying on the original Greek and Latin textual sources, the author describes and analyses how the ancient philosophers explained mental illness and its symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, strange fears and inappropriate moods, and how they accounted for the respective roles of body and mind in such disorders. Also considered are ethical questions relating to mental illness, approaches to treatment and the position of mentally ill people in societies of the times. The volume opens with a historical overview that examines ancient medical accounts of mental illness, from Hippocrates' famous Sacred Disease to late antiquity medical authors. Separate chapters interpret in detail the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Galen and the Stoics, and a final chapter summarises the views of various strains of Scepticism, the Epicurean school and the Middle and Neo-Platonists. Offering an important and useful contribution to the study of ancient philosophy, psychology and medicine, This volume sheds new light on the history of mental illness, and presents a new angle on ancient philosophical psychology."--Font no determinada Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-8 Medical and Cultural Background....Pages 9-34 Plato on Madness and Mental Disorders....Pages 35-67 The Aristotelian Concept of Mental Disorders....Pages 69-102 The Stoics on the Kinds of Madness....Pages 103-137 Galen on the Diseases of the Mind and Soul....Pages 139-177 Other Philosophical Traditions....Pages 179-216 Appendix A: Aristotle and Caelius Aurelianus on Homosexuality....Pages 217-222 Appendix B: Philosophers as Mental Patients in Ancient Tradition....Pages 223-231 Back Matter....Pages 233-265 Marke Ahonen. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.