When nature gave all the animals their organs for conception, it equipped those organs with a special facility for creating pleasure, and the soul with a “marvellous and indescribable to desire to make use of them. ” By exciting and goading animals, this desire causes them to provide for the continuation of the species, as though they were perfectly wise, while in reality they may be young and foolish and entirely irrational.

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At a time when philosophy, particularly Platonic and Stoic philosophy, had extensively warned agaisnt the folly of passion and Christian asceticism was on the rise, Galen reminded people of Eros’ reasons.