Acknowledgements
This book is a slightly revised version of my dissertation, which was written as part of the NWO-funded project Human Nature: Medical and Philosophical Perspectives in the Work of Galen of Pergamum, directed by prof. dr. Teun Tieleman at the Utrecht University Philosophy department. I am grateful to the NWO for the funding and to Teun for the trust he placed in me.
The frequent reading group and research seminar meetings with the project-group in Utrecht have contributed greatly to my research. I would like to thank Aiste Čelkyte, Albert Joosse, Chiara Cecconi, Clarine Rijpstra-van Daal and Julia Trompeter for their many useful comments and expert feedback on my research, as well as for everything I learned during these meetings.
The Philosophy Department in Utrecht was a very fruitful environment for me during my time as a PhD student, for which I would like to particularly thank Jaap Mansfeld, Jan van Ophuijsen, Maarten van Houte, Mauro Bonazzi, and Paul Ziche. Of the many visiting scholars our department welcomed during my time as a PhD student, I would like to thank in particular Jim Hankinson and Riccardo Chiaradonna for reading my work-in-progress and providing many relevant and stimulating comments.
I thank my friends Paul Trouerbach, Rob Heller, and Ype de Boer, for an ongoing philosophical conversation that always manages to provide both stimulus and distraction; and Sophie Spaan for the delightful company during all of those early train rides from Amsterdam to Utrecht. I owe many thanks to my supervisor, Teun Tieleman, not only for his ever extensive and knowledgeable input and comments, but also for his truly exceptional kindness and support.
Last but not least, I thank my loving partner Donya, who managed to improve much of my English to a level I hope is acceptable. Any faults that remain are mine, alone. More importantly, her love and support in the last years of writing this work has lifted my spirit like nothing else.