History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 235 - Juhana Toivanen on Animals in Medieval Philosophy
Aug 2, 2015
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Aristotelian Three Souls Define Humanity
- Medieval thought follows Aristotle's three souls: vegetative, sensitive, and rational as metaphysical categories.
- Humans uniquely possess an immaterial rational soul that grounds immortality and free action.
Humans Inherit Animal Capacities
- Medievals held that human souls include all lower powers, so humans have the external five senses and internal senses like animals.
- They debated whether sensory processes function identically in humans and non-human animals.
Perception Needs Active Attention
- Medieval perception theory adapted Aristotle but introduced active attention as critical for perception.
- Peter Olivi argued perception requires the soul's attention to the external input to become perception.