History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 264 - Giorgio Pini on Scotus on Knowledge
Nov 6, 2016
Giorgio Pini, expert in Duns Scotus' epistemology, discusses Aquinas' concept of knowledge, Skodos' argument against skeptics, the theory of the University of Being, and the influence of Scotus on early modern thinkers.
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Aquinas: Forms Bridge Senses And Mind
- Thomas Aquinas: knowledge starts with sensory properties and ends with a form in the mind corresponding to the object's form.
- Aquinas thinks this process can yield the essence of things by refining sensory input into mental concepts.
Aquinas: God As Both Object And Form
- Aquinas holds that in the beatific vision God supplies the form directly, acting as both object and form of knowledge.
- This means cognition in the next life uses the same mechanism but with God providing the form rather than the senses.
Scotus: Sensory Start, Not Sensory Finish
- Scotus agrees we start from sensory accidents like color and smell to form concepts of objects.
- He rejects that senses alone can account for our sophisticated concepts and stresses additional cognitive work.