Galen offers a much-needed introduction to the philosophical writings of Galen of Pergamum (129–c.215 CE). Written by a leading international expert on Galen, this volume elucidates his significance as a logician and a philosopher, and addresses the key conceptual question raised by this topic: how does Galen’s philosophy relate to his medical work?

Galen was the most important medical writer in antiquity and his influence on Western medicine is unparalleled. Yet both Galen and his contemporaries considered him to be a philosopher as much as a doctor. Tieleman convincingly assesses this interrelationship, exploring the ways Galen applied philosophical concepts to medical theory and practice, and conversely considering how his experience as an empirical scientist conditioned his responses to philosophical tradition. Detailing his private and social background, his philosophical and medical education, his career as a medical practitioner and his relationship with the philosophical schools of his day, this volume provides essential context which enables readers to understand Galen’s intellectual profile.

Presupposing no previous knowledge of Galen’s work, this volume provides students of classics and philosophy with an up-to-date and accessible overview of his philosophy, as well as an account of recent research on the subject.