Philosophy Faculty Publications
Document Type
Conference Paper
Publication Date
5-2011
Publication Source
Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy (2010)
Abstract
Any interpretation of Aristotle’s phantasia should aim to account for the unusual
presentation he gives of it in De Anima III 3. The procedure of this chapter is not typical to his investigations into the soul’s faculties. His accounts usually proceed from an examination of its objects, since they determine the nature and character of its activities. But Aristotle does not clearly state what the objects of fantasiva are, leading some scholars to conclude that it has no objects of its own and, hence, is not a genuine or full faculty. Instead of detailing its objects, he begins the chapter with the argument that his predecessors cannot account for the possibility of error because they take sense-perceiving (aijsqavnesqai) to be identical to understanding (fronei`n, 427a21-22). Phantasia is abruptly introduced in the course of this discussion. After distinguishing sense-perception from understanding (fronei`n) and thinking (noei`n), Aristotle writes, “For phantasia is different from sense-perception and discursive thought” (427b14-15). He then turns his attention to phantasia, but to specify, at least initially, what it is not. The negative analysis effectively provides a list of features phantasia can have; however, we are left to wonder which of these features are essential to it, if any. It is only in the last section of the chapter beginning at 428b10 that Aristotle provides something of a positive account. Phantasia, he there explains, is a motion that occurs as the result of actual sense-perceiving (428b13, b25-26), is similar to sense-perception (428b14), and is that in virtue of which its possessor can do and be affected by many things (428b16-17).
ISBN/ISSN
9789004207073
Document Version
Postprint
Copyright
Copyright © 2011, Brill
Publisher
Brill
Volume
26
eCommons Citation
Gabbe, Myrna, "Commentary on Ward’s Interpretation of 'De Anima' III 3" (2011). Philosophy Faculty Publications. 107.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/phl_fac_pub/107
Comments
The document available for download is the author's accepted manuscript, provided in compliance with the publisher's policy on self-archiving and with the permission of the author. The version of record is available here. Permission documentation is on file.