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Conclusion: Medicine Disciplined

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2020

Aileen R. Das
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
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Summary

Reflecting on the subjects from Plato's Timaeus at the centre of the disciplinary rivalry explored in the preceding chapters, I conclude that mind-body problems -- questions treating the extent to which psychic and 'mental' processes are separable from the corporeal realm -- provoked the most debate. My contention is that Galen's interpretation of a close link between the body and soul in the dialogue allowed himself and his sympathizers to give doctors a stake in psychological knowledge and trouble the distribution of value based on the corporeal-incorporeal dichotomy, which privileged philosophers. Therefore, the restrictive disciplinary laws imposed on doctors by Avicenna and Maimonides are a strategy to reclaim philosophy's hegemony on the soul and superior epistemic standing. While my study had divided Galen's successors into supporters and opponents of his project, I maintain that each Arabic actor tries to overwrite Galen's expertise with their own. Finally, I consider how my examination of the discursive reimagining of medicine can provide a longue durée perspective on modern reconceptualizations of the field, such as disputes about the relevance of the Medical Humanities.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Conclusion: Medicine Disciplined
  • Aileen R. Das, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Galen and the Arabic Reception of Plato's <I>Timaeus</I>
  • Online publication: 30 October 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108583107.007
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  • Conclusion: Medicine Disciplined
  • Aileen R. Das, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Galen and the Arabic Reception of Plato's <I>Timaeus</I>
  • Online publication: 30 October 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108583107.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion: Medicine Disciplined
  • Aileen R. Das, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Galen and the Arabic Reception of Plato's <I>Timaeus</I>
  • Online publication: 30 October 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108583107.007
Available formats
×