Galen and Chrysippus on the soul

by Teun Tieleman

This volume deals with books II and III of the On the Doctrines of Hippocrates and Plato by the medical scientist and philosopher Galen of Pergamum (129-C.210 C.E.). In these books Galen offers an extensive critique of Stoic psychology, quoting a large number of passages from the otherwise lost treatise On the Soul by the great Stoic philosopher Chrysippus. This first full-scale study of Chrysippus' mode of argumentation considers the fragments both in their Galenic context and in relation to Stoicism in general. A separate discussion is devoted to Galen's aims and methods and the traditions he is indebted to. Though designed as a foil for the treatment of Chrysippus, it can also be read by those interested in Galen's methodology for its own sake.