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Author Ahonen, Marke, author

Title Mental disorders in ancient philosophy / Marke Ahonen
Published Cham : Springer, [2014]
©2014
Table of Contents
1.Introduction1
1.1.Notes on Previous Literature5
2.Medical and Cultural Background9
2.1.The Medical Notion of Mental Disorders10
2.1.1.The Hippocratic On the Sacred Disease10
2.1.2.The Concept of Mania13
2.1.3.Melancholy19
2.1.4.Further Remarks on the Ancient Medical Discussion on Mental Illness23
2.2.The Popular Conception of Mental Illness and the Greek Vocabulary of Madness26
3.Plato on Madness and Mental Disorders35
3.1.Preliminary Observations35
3.2.The Phaedrus and Inspired Madness37
3.3.Further Remarks on Poetic and Prophetic Madness40
3.4.Diseases of the Soul in the Timaeus43
3.4.1.Diseases of the Soul and the Aetiology of Evil44
3.4.2.Therapy of the Soul48
3.4.3.The Soul and the Anthropology of the Timaeus49
3.5.The Republic and the Laws---Defective Souls in Society51
3.5.1.The Republic and the Aristocracy of Reason52
3.5.2.Corrupted Types of City, Corrupted Types of Man54
3.5.3.The Laws---Legislation as the Educator of Citizens58
3.6.Conclusions66
4.The Aristotelian Concept of Mental Disorders69
4.1.The Nature of Mental Illness69
4.2.Symptoms of Mental Illness77
4.3.Deficiency of Reason and Ethical Concerns85
4.4.Manic and Melancholic Temperaments92
4.4.1.The Melancholic Temperament According to Problems XXX, 198
4.5.Conclusions101
5.The Stoics on the Kinds of Madness103
5.1.Distinguishing the Kinds of Madness103
5.2.The Madness of all Mankind107
5.3.Medical Madness and its Effects112
5.3.1.Passibility of the Body, Passibility of the Soul115
5.4.Pathology of the Soul---Passions, Diseases, Susceptibilities124
5.5.Nature and Stoic Anthropology133
5.6.Conclusions136
6.Galen on the Diseases of the Mind and Soul139
6.1.Mental Illness in Galen's Medical Philosophy140
6.2.Mental Disorders and their Treatment in Galen145
6.2.1.Melancholic Mental Illness145
6.2.2.Galen on Phrenitis156
6.2.3.The Concept of Mania159
6.2.4.Other Medical Conditions Affecting the Mind and the Rational Functions159
6.3.Two Clinical Cases Resembling Mental Illness161
6.4.Galen on the Passions of the Soul163
6.5.Passions, Errors and Medical Symptoms168
6.6.Conclusions176
7.Other Philosophical Traditions179
7.1.The Sceptics and Medical Empiricism179
7.2.Epicurus and the Epicureans187
7.2.1.Epicurean Psychopathology188
7.2.2.The Soul and Mental Illness in Lucretius191
7.2.3.Physics, Ethics and Diseases of the Soul198
7.3.Middle Platonic Writers200
7.3.1."Timaeus of Locri" on Plato's Timaeus201
7.3.2.Philo, Plutarch, Alcinous202
7.4.Neoplatonic Writers207
7.4.1.Plotinus207
7.4.2.Iamblichus and Hermias209
7.4.3.Proclus211
7.5.Commentators on Aristotle212
7.6.Conclusions215
8.Appendix A: Aristotle and Caelius Aurelianus on Homosexuality217
9.Appendix B: Philosophers as Mental Patients in Ancient Tradition223
9.1.Democritus' Madness225
9.2.Lucretius' Mental Illness227
9.3.Porphyry's Case of Melancholy228
 Bibliography233
 Editions of Primary Sources Referred to by the Editor's Name233
 Secondary Sources234
 Author Index243
 Index Locorum249
 Subject Index263

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Description 1 online resource (xi, 265 pages)
Series Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind ; volume 13
Studies in the history of philosophy of mind ; v. 13.
Contents 1. Introduction. 1.1. Notes on Previous Literature -- 2. Medical and Cultural Background. 2.1. The Medical Notion of Mental Disorders. 2.1.1. The Hippocratic On the Sacred Disease. 2.1.2. The Concept of Mania. 2.1.3. Melancholy. 2.1.4. Further Remarks on the Ancient Medical Discussion on Mental Illness. 2.2. The Popular Conception of Mental Illness and the Greek Vocabulary of Madness -- 3. Plato on Madness and Mental Disorders. 3.1. Preliminary Observations. 3.2. The Phaedrus and Inspired Madness. 3.3. Further Remarks on Poetic and Prophetic Madness. 3.4. Diseases of the Soul in the Timaeus. 3.4.1. Diseases of the Soul and the Aetiology of Evil. 3.4.2. Therapy of the Soul. 3.4.3. The Soul and the Anthropology of the Timaeus. 3.5. The Republic and the Laws: Defective Souls in Society. 3.5.1. The Republic and the Aristocracy of Reason. 3.5.2. Corrupted Types of City, Corrupted Types of Man. 3.5.3. The Laws: Legislation as the Educator of Citizens. 3.6. Conclusions
4. The Aristotelian Concept of Mental Disorders. 4.1. The Nature of Mental Illness. 4.2. Symptoms of Mental Illness. 4.3. Deficiency of Reason and Ethical Concerns. 4.4. Manic and Melancholic Temperaments. 4.4.1. The Melancholic Temperament According to Problems XXX, 1. 4.5. Conclusions -- 5. The Stoics on the Kinds of Madness. 5.1. Distinguishing the Kinds of Madness. 5.2. The Madness of all Mankind. 5.3. Medical Madness and its Effects. 5.3.1. Passibility of the Body, Passibility of the Soul. 5.4. Pathology of the Soul: Passions, Diseases, Susceptibilities. 5.5. Nature and Stoic Anthropology. 5.6. Conclusions -- 6. Galen on the Diseases of the Mind and Soul. 6.1. Mental Illness in Galen's Medical Philosophy. 6.2. Mental Disorders and their Treatment in Galen. 6.2.1. Melancholic Mental Illness. 6.2.2. Galen on Phrenitis. 6.2.3. The Concept of Mania. 6.2.4. Other Medical Conditions Affecting the Mind and the Rational Functions. 6.3. T wo Clinical Cases Resembling Mental Illness. 6.4. Galen on the Passions of the Soul. 6.5. Passions, Errors and Medical Symptoms. 6.6. Conclusions
7. Other Philosophical Traditions. 7.1. The Sceptics and Medical Empiricism. 7.2. Epicurus and the Epicureans. 7.2.1. Epicurean Psychopathology. 7.2.2. The Soul and Mental Illness in Lucretius. 7.2.3. Physics, Ethics and Diseases of the Soul. 7.3. Middle Platonic Writers. 7.3.1. "Timaeus of Locri" on Plato's Timaeus. 7.3.2. Philo, Plutarch, Alcinous. 7.4. Neoplatonic Writers. 7.4.1. Plotinus. 7.4.2. I amblichus and Hermias. 7.4.3. Proclus. 7.5. Commentators on Aristotle. 7.6. Conclusions -- 8. Appendix A. Aristotle and Caelius Aurelianus on Homosexuality -- 9. Appendix B. Philosophers as Mental Patients in Ancient Tradition. 9.1. Democritus' Madness. 9.2. Lucretius' Mental Illness. 9.3. Porphyry's Case of Melancholy
Summary "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
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-241) and indexes
Notes Online resource; title from PDF title page (SpringerLink, viewed January 20, 2014)
Subject Mental illness -- Philosophy
Mental illness -- History
Psychology and philosophy.
Psychiatry
HEALTH & FITNESS -- Diseases -- General.
MEDICAL -- Clinical Medicine.
MEDICAL -- Diseases.
MEDICAL -- Evidence-Based Medicine.
MEDICAL -- Internal Medicine.
Droit.
Sciences sociales.
Sciences humaines.
Mental illness
Mental illness -- Philosophy
Psychology and philosophy
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9783319034317
3319034316