Greek Philosophy on Sleep

Term Paper # 116069

Philosophy > Ancient Greek
Psychology

An examination of the beliefs of ancient Greeks and their philosophers on sleep and dreams.

1,516 words () | 5 sources | APA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper relates the beliefs of ancient Greeks on sleep and focuses on Galen who insisted that dreams were caused by what was arising from the body. The paper then turns to Plato's belief that when a person is sleeping, his ability to reason is suspended which allows irrational mental states such as passion and desire to take over the mind. Finally, the paper looks at Aristotle's theory, which contends that dreams were the result of lingering impressions that a person had recently experienced in the reality-based physical world. The paper discusses how today it is widely accepted that a person's day to day life greatly affects his dreams. The paper therefore concludes that Aristotle's ideas are the ones that have held up the best over time.

From the Paper:

"Many ancient Greeks believed that sleep was a short-term separation of vital organs from the rest of the body. They believed that all matter was made up of certain classical elements which were Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. These elements corresponded to the four states of matter, which are Solid, Liquid, Gas, and Plasma. This theory dated to before the time of Socrates and actually continued throughout the Roman Empire, Medieval times, and even into the Renaissance. With regards to the Greek beliefs on sleep, when the organs separated from the body, this also separated the body from the element of Fire, which resulted in an unconscious, near-death state of being. Therefore, it was also believed that in death, the body was permanently separated from the element of Fire, thus extinguishing the fire of life."

Sample of Sources Used:

Aristotle (2005). On Prophesying by Dreams. http://www.greektexts.com/library/Aristotle/On_Prophesying_By_Dreams/eng/index.html
Groopman, J. (2007, October 15). Silent Minds. The New Yorker, 38-43.
Kramer, K.P. (1992). Death Dreams: Unveiling Mysteries of the Unconscious Minds. New York, NY: Paulist Press.
Pearcy, L. (2001). Galen: On Diagnosis in Dreams. http://www.medicinaantiqua.org.uk/tr_GalDreams.html
Plato (2003). The Republic. New York, NY: Penguin.