A3 Book section, Chapters in research books
Perceiving As : Non-conceptual Forms of Perception in Medieval Philosophy (2020)
Toivanen, J. (2020). Perceiving As : Non-conceptual Forms of Perception in Medieval Philosophy. In E. Băltuță (Ed.), Medieval Perceptual Puzzles : Theories of Sense Perception in the 13th and 14th Centuries (pp. 10-37). Brill. Investigating Medieval Philosophy, 13. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004413030_003
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Toivanen, Juhana
Parent publication: Medieval Perceptual Puzzles : Theories of Sense Perception in the 13th and 14th Centuries
Parent publication editors: Băltuță, Elena
ISBN: 978-90-04-40847-0
eISBN: 978-90-04-41303-0
Journal or series: Investigating Medieval Philosophy
ISSN: 1879-9787
Publication year: 2020
Number in series: 13
Pages range: 10-37
Number of pages in the book: 398
Publisher: Brill
Publication country: Netherlands
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004413030_003
Publication open access: Not open
Publication channel open access:
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/66701
Abstract
It is well known that medieval philosophers recognised these and other similar phenomena. They analysed various elements of perceptual experience, which are not (or cannot be) directly apprehended by the external senses. In order to account for these elements, they argued that in addition to the five external senses, several so-called internal senses contribute to perception. The leading idea in their approach was to divide complex psychological processes into sub-processes or functions that can then be attributed to various internal senses, and analysed separately.
An analysis of medieval views from the perspective of the interplay between external and internal senses allows us to understand the complexity of perceptual experience. This chapter will (1) specify different types of ‘perceiving as’ that medieval authors recognised, (2) explain what kind of additions these processes make to perception, (3) suggest two heuristic models that can be used to analyse medieval theories, and (4) ask where the limit between conceptual and non-conceptual perception lies.
Keywords: philosophy; Middle Ages; perceptions (mental objects); senses
Contributing organizations
Ministry reporting: Yes
Reporting Year: 2020
JUFO rating: 3