Ancient Greek Health Theories: Understanding the Melancholic Mean in Aristotelian Problema XXX.1 :: Philosophy Medicine

Ancient Greek Health Theories: Understanding the Melancholic Mean in Aristotelian Problema XXX.1 ABSTRACT: In ancient Greek theories of health, it was the equal balance or mixing of the humors or elements (i.e., the isonomic mean) that comprised the ideal healthy state. In the Aristotelian Problema XXX.1, however, there is a description of a form of melancholic constitution that is both 1) itself characterized as a mean, and 2) thought to lead to intellectual outstandingness. This is theoretically problematic since the melancholic constitution was by definition a constitution in which there was a natural preponderance of black bile. Thus, there appear to be two incompatible means that are descriptive of the ideal in ancient Greek medicine: the isonomic mean that underlies the ideal healthy state, and the melancholic mean that describes the melancholic who is capable of greatness. This paper attempts to understand the melancholic mean as described in Problema XXX.1 by considering the two different but related models of this mean that are suggested in the text. A reconciliation of the two somatic ideals is argued for on the basis of what else is said in the Problema, as well as ideas found in the Hippocratic work Airs, Waters, Places and other Aristotelian Problemata. Why is it that all those who have become eminent in philosophy or politics or poetry or the arts are clearly of an atrabilious temperament, and some of them to such an extent as to be affected by diseases caused by black bile, as is said to have happened to Heracles among the heroes? (Problemata XXX.1 953a10-14) (1) So begins the Aristotelian Problema XXX.1. Why indeed! The atrabilious temperament or melancholia is, according to Aristotle, a natural disposition in which there is a preponderance of black bile over the other humours. The healthy somatic ideal, however, was conceived by Greek medical theorists as the equality of the humours, either with respect to their quantity or their relative strengths (quality); disease was by definition an excess of one of the humours or elements. If the ideal state with respect to the humours was equality or isonomic proportion, but "all those who have become eminent in philosophy or politics or poetry or the arts..." be melancholics, then which state is the ideal — health or melancholia? The explicit association of melancholia with genius is found for the first time in this Problema. The author was working within a long tradition that linked the ideal state with a mean.

Human Behaviour Is Learned Rather Than Based on Instinct Essay

This argument can be discussed also using the nature vs. nurture theory, it has been studied widely and there is evidence to support both sides of the argument. The nurture theory argues that human behaviour is the way is it because they were taught that way or grew up in that type of environment. *[1] ’Children raised in healthy, positive environments are more likely to grow into productive successful adults than children raised in negative, threatening environments.’ *[1] http://www.ehow.com/info_8337653_two-sides-nature-nurture-debate.html#ixzz26C7cfhp The nature theory argues that human behaviour is often based on their genetics. It’s argued that human behaviour is the result of inherited traits that people are born with. Even though a person would have experience and learnt things from other people, his/her nature or characteristics would not change. Some people might say we do not have ‘free will’ because our destinies have already been determined by our traits. A child may have a positive upbringing but genetics may show that the child may always be violent no matter what type of upbringing he/she has. Gender is a good example of nurture, although gender is determined by genetics, some people say that acting in appropriate ways for our gender is learnt. Boys are taught at a young age to generally be more masculine by playing competitive sports such as football or rugby. Girls are generally taught to be more feminine, by staying at home and learning how to cook and not participating in rough sports but to be more sensible. There also may be cases where girls have been more masculine and boys more feminine, but either way they have been shown how to behave rather than instinctively knowing. In later life boys or someone more masculine could do well with aggressive jobs such as lawyers, and girls or more feminine people could do well with jobs like nursing where sensitive qualities are needed. People are also different due to their social class, children will have different upbringings due to however many opportunities are available to them. Upper class children are more likely to have more open opportunities such as better colleges and universities, where as a child in middle class will have less opportunities due to lack of money or status.

Terrorist Groups and Tactics