The Possibility of the Change of Character Traits in Galen

Abstract

It can be said that both Plato's tripartite soul and Hippocrates' theory of temperament were influential in Galen's perception of ethics. In this respect, Galen, who presents a kind of composition of the effective philosophical and medical traditions of his day, is outside the tradition with his understanding of physicalist psychology. Considering the capacities of the soul as depending on the temperament of the body, Galen generally displays a deterministic attitude towards ethics, that is, the development of the soul. This is because the natural and physical structure is difficult to change. On the other hand, Galen, whom we can call both a physician and a philosophical therapist, argues that character traits (ethos) can be changed to the extent that nature allows through education and habituation at an early age. This article will try to determine and evaluate the possibility Galen ascribes to ethical change and development in humans in the context of character traits.