Theophrastus on Odorous Exhalations and the Nature of Perception

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11210%2F25%3A10508793" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11210/25:10508793 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004739314_005" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004739314_005</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004739314_005" target="_blank" >10.1163/9789004739314_005</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Theophrastus on Odorous Exhalations and the Nature of Perception

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

While Aristotle forcefully criticizes the view (associated with Empedocles) according to which perception is defined by material &quot;effluences&quot; coming from the objects and &quot;fitting&quot; within the perceiver&apos;s organs, Theophrastus repeatedly invokes material &quot;exhalations&quot; when discussing phenomena of smelling. This has been taken by scholars as a sign of Theophrastus&apos; departure from Aristotle. The present paper argues that, rather than departing from Aristotle&apos;s theory of perception, Theophrastus takes it for granted and that he introduces odorous exhalations as an additional, subordinate explanatory factor to account for a wide set of phenomena within the Aristotelian framework. Against this background, the second part of the paper assesses the lamentably fragmentary evidence for Theophrastus&apos; view on the nature of perception. It argues that there is no good evidence for associating Theophrastus with the &quot;spiritualist&quot; version of Aristotelianism which denies that perception essentially involves any material change. But it also argues that Theophrastus cannot be associated with any of the existing &quot;materialist&quot; interpretations either, on which perception essentially involves either a literal replication of the perceived quality in the sense organ or a replication of it in a transduced form. On either of these accounts, perception would become impossible, on Theophrastus&apos; view, because the organ would cease to be able to be affected by the object. If the fragmentary evidence suggests any view on the nature of perception, then it is the view on which perception consists in the reception of the form of the perceived object alone, without it becoming the form of the perceiver herself (or her organ) - but on which this reception is the result of a perfectly material way of acting of the object, via the medium, on the sense organ.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Theophrastus on Odorous Exhalations and the Nature of Perception

Popis výsledku anglicky

While Aristotle forcefully criticizes the view (associated with Empedocles) according to which perception is defined by material &quot;effluences&quot; coming from the objects and &quot;fitting&quot; within the perceiver&apos;s organs, Theophrastus repeatedly invokes material &quot;exhalations&quot; when discussing phenomena of smelling. This has been taken by scholars as a sign of Theophrastus&apos; departure from Aristotle. The present paper argues that, rather than departing from Aristotle&apos;s theory of perception, Theophrastus takes it for granted and that he introduces odorous exhalations as an additional, subordinate explanatory factor to account for a wide set of phenomena within the Aristotelian framework. Against this background, the second part of the paper assesses the lamentably fragmentary evidence for Theophrastus&apos; view on the nature of perception. It argues that there is no good evidence for associating Theophrastus with the &quot;spiritualist&quot; version of Aristotelianism which denies that perception essentially involves any material change. But it also argues that Theophrastus cannot be associated with any of the existing &quot;materialist&quot; interpretations either, on which perception essentially involves either a literal replication of the perceived quality in the sense organ or a replication of it in a transduced form. On either of these accounts, perception would become impossible, on Theophrastus&apos; view, because the organ would cease to be able to be affected by the object. If the fragmentary evidence suggests any view on the nature of perception, then it is the view on which perception consists in the reception of the form of the perceived object alone, without it becoming the form of the perceiver herself (or her organ) - but on which this reception is the result of a perfectly material way of acting of the object, via the medium, on the sense organ.

Druh

C - Kapitola v odborné knize

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

60301 - Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology

Projekt

<a href="/cs/project/GA25-16298S" target="_blank" >GA25-16298S: Aristotelés o povaze lidského myšlení</a><br>

Návaznosti

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Rok uplatnění

2025

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název knihy nebo sborníku

Perspectives on Peripatetic Physics: From Theophrastus to Alexander

ISBN

978-90-04-73930-7

Počet stran výsledku

30

Strana od-do

67-96

Počet stran knihy

445

Název nakladatele

Brill

Místo vydání

Leiden

Kód UT WoS kapitoly

—