Philosophy Faculty Publications

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-2008

Publication Source

Dionysius

Abstract

Themistius is not only a commentator on Aristotle; he is also one of our main sources of Theophrastus on the intellect. Hence, it is important to understand how he approaches and reads texts. It is my view that care and rigor are reflected in his treatment of nous pathêtikos. In this paper, I argue that Themistius postulates a third intellect whose job is to discern enmattered forms-i.e., sensible particulars-on the reasonable assumption that the productive and potential intellects are responsible solely for our contemplation of un-enmattered forms. As such, the passive intellect is responsible for what Aristotle calls incidental perception and, thereby, plays an important role in nearly all of our affections (pathê).

It is a mistake, however, to regard Themistius's nous pathêtikos as a distinct third intellect that stands alongside its productive and potential counterparts. This intellect, I contend, emerges as part of a larger effort to explain the intellect's relation to the rest of the soul in light of the unique way that humans experience the world.

Inclusive pages

73-92

ISBN/ISSN

0705-1085

Document Version

Published Version

Comments

This document is provided for download by permission of the publisher. Permission documentation is on file.

Publisher

Dalhousie University

Volume

26

Peer Reviewed

yes


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Philosophy Commons

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