History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 235 - Juhana Toivanen on Animals in Medieval Philosophy
Aug 2, 2015
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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.
Internal Senses Explain Animal Behavior
- Medieval thinkers posited internal senses (common sense, estimation, imagination, memory) to explain animal behavior beyond raw perception.
- These powers explain actions like a sheep fleeing a wolf despite no prior experience of danger.