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Heat, Pneuma, and Soul in Ancient Philosophy and Science

Hynek Bartoš editor Colin Guthrie King editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:12th Mar '20

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Heat, Pneuma, and Soul in Ancient Philosophy and Science cover

The first volume to examine theories of soul in Greek philosophy using an approach drawn from the history of science.

Ancient theories of the soul were influenced decisively by general assumptions about basic properties of living things, especially 'heat' and 'breath' (pneuma). This volume considers the relationship of the notions of heat, breath (pneuma), and soul in ancient Greek philosophy and science from the Presocratics to Aristotle.The conceptualization of the vital force of living beings as a kind of breath and heat is at least as old as Homer. The assumptions that life and living things were somehow causally related to 'heat' and 'breath' (pneuma) would go on to inform much of ancient medicine and philosophy. This is the first volume to consider the relationship of the notions of heat, breath (pneuma), and soul in ancient Greek philosophy and science from the Presocratics to Aristotle. Bringing together specialists both on early Greek philosophy and on Aristotle, it brings an approach drawn from the history of science to the study of both fields. The chapters give fresh and detailed interpretations of the theory of soul in Heraclitus, Empedocles, Parmenides, Diogenes of Appolonia, and Democritus, as well as in the Hippocratic Corpus, Plato's Timaeus, and various works of Aristotle.

'Ultimately, the volume makes a fine case for a collection of essays examining heat, pneuma, and soul through Aristotle, and it ably advances the scholarly discussion on them.' Rhodes Pinto, Stanford University

ISBN: 9781108476737

Dimensions: 235mm x 159mm x 26mm

Weight: 670g

388 pages