Body and Soul in Ancient Philosophy

412
Christopher Gill
than Galen himself allows. Teun Tieleman has maintained that they reflect
a credible form of methodology, based on the progressive “articulation”
(diarthrôsis) of concepts and widely held beliefs. 11 But, whatever,
the general merits of this method, it is not particularly well suited for
empirical investigation in the way that Galen’s method is. Also, I can
see no reason, in terms of the Stoics’ own thinking, why they should
not have accepted the force of Galen’s arguments, had this been chronologically
possible. Their epistemological approach is, in broad terms at
least, also an empirical one. 12 Also, although Stoics did not undertake
independent work on anatomy, they seem to have taken note of the
findings of those who did, especially the late fourth-century medical
writer, Praxagoras. 13 Indeed, there is some, rather limited and indirect
evidence, noted later, that the Stoics, or at least Chrysippus, did take
note of the arguments for the brain-centred view, though they did
not adopt this position. But my claim is that, in terms of the methodology
of natural enquiry, they would have had good reason to adopt
this view, especially in the form in which it was advanced by Galen.
Also, in addition to the methodological advantages, the brain-centred
picture corresponds to the key features of Stoic psychology as
well as, or (in at least one respect) better than, the heart-centred one.
The brain-centred view corresponds as well as the heart-centred one
in that it offers a physical correlative for the distinctive Stoic idea that
we have a unified psychological centre. It also offers a better framework
of explanation for the distinction between the operations of the controlcentre
and of ‘nature’ (physis), a distinction that plays an important role
in most of our sources for Stoic psychology. Both of these points need
to be explained more fully.
The main distinctive feature of the Stoic theory, considered in relation
to most other ancient accounts, is a highly unified psychological
centre, serving as the focus and director of an integrated communication
11 Broadly speaking, the method consists in critical analysis of conventionally held
beliefs and concepts, leading to the determination of their truth-status. See Tieleman
1996, part 2, esp. 288–290.
12 See Frede 1999; the main qualification in their empirical approach consists in
the role allocated to “preconceptions” (prolÞpseis), on which see Frede 1991,
319 – 321.
13 See Tieleman 1996, 189 – 195, on the influence of Praxagoras on Stoic
thought, and 66 – 105, on the relatively detailed account of digestion and respiration
by the Stoic Diogenes of Babylon, which seems to be influenced by
Praxagoras.