Galen's Epistemology: Experience, Reason, and Method in Ancient Medicine ed. by R. J. Hankinson and Matyáš Havrda (review).

This volume, edited by R. J. Hankinson and Matyáš Havrda, focuses on Galen's epistemology, specifically his integration of experience (peira) and reason (logos) in ancient medical knowledge and scientific method. The eleven essays explore how Galen combines rationalist and empiricist approaches to overcome medical sectarian divides, emphasizing that experience must be structured by reason to yield reliable knowledge. Contributions analyze Galen's methodological discussions, case studies in medicine, his theory of sense-perception, and the role of experience in ethics, while also tracing the reception of his scientific method in Late Antiquity and the Islamic Middle Ages. The volume highlights Galen's nuanced understanding of the theory-ladenness of experience and the challenges of expressing sensory data scientifically, underscoring his significance as both a philosopher and scientist.