Body and Soul in Ancient Philosophy

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Christopher Gill
they did not identify with any single material entity, such as blood or
air. 18 How important for the Stoics was the question of the location of the
control-centre? 19 Although there is a clear commitment to the heartcentred
view and evidence of increasing elaboration of this claim in
terms of bodily organisation, the fundamental thesis seems to be that a
complex of psychological functions converges in a single centre. This
point emerges, for instance, from Chrysippus’ arguments for the heart
by reference to speech-functions.
It is reasonable that the destination of meanings and the source of discourse
(logos) is the governing part of the psyche. The source of discourse is not
different from the source of thought, nor again is the source of voice different
from that of discourse, nor (to state the whole point simply) is the
source of voice different from the governing part of the psyche … In general,
the source from which discourse issues must be where reasoning occurs
and thinking and the preparation of language, as I said. But these latter
plainly occur in the region of the heart since both voice and discourse issue
from the heart through the windpipe. It is plausible in addition that the
place to which language conveys meaning should be the place where it acquires
meaning and that words should come from there in the way described.
20
The claim that is made repeatedly here is the linkage between the functions
of voice, language, and reasoning, taken as implying that they derive
from the same source. The convergence of functions in a single
centre is more important than the location of this centre. 21 A corollary
of this point is that the Stoics could have adopted the brain-centred
anatomy advocated by Galen and still have made their main claims
about animal (especially human) psychology. The combination of
brain and nervous system could have provided the anatomical basis
for the idea of a unified psychological centre and a communication sys-
18 See Annas 1992, 25 – 26, 35 – 38, 45 – 46, Tieleman 1996, 87–95, Long 1999b,
568 – 569.
19 In fact, there is some evidence that rational functions were placed in the head
rather than the heart by some Stoics of the first centuries BC and AD, though in
the context of mythical interpretation rather than debate about physiology. See
Mansfeld 1990, 3095, n.145, referring to Philodemus, De pietate column IX.9 ff.
(= SVF 2.910), [ps.] Heraclitus, Homeric Problems, ch. 19, 1 – 2, and Cornutus
35.9 – 15.
20 Gal. PHP V.242 –3, 2.5.15 – 20, p. 130.24 – 132.2, tr. Long 1999b, 570, slightly
modified.
21 For this view, see also Long 1999b, 570 – 571.