Overview
- First extensive study into ancient philosophical understanding of mental disorders
- Draws on original Greek and Latin textual sources to probe the views of ancient philosophers
- Considers in context the ancient concepts of mania, melancholy, delusion and hallucination
- Includes chapters on the views of Plato, Aristotle, Galen and the Stoics
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind (SHPM, volume 13)
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Table of contents (9 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
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.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Mental Disorders in Ancient Philosophy
Authors: Marke Ahonen
Series Title: Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03431-7
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-03430-0Published: 29 January 2014
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-37722-3Published: 27 August 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-03431-7Published: 16 January 2014
Series ISSN: 1573-5834
Series E-ISSN: 2542-9922
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 265
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Psychology, History of Psychology