research-article

Aristotle, the Intellect, and Cognition

  • Thomas M. Robinson
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  • Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5R 2M8, Canada

Published date: 04 Jul 2014

Copyright

2014 Higher Education Press and Brill

Abstract

It is argued in this paper that the famous “Active Intellect” of De Anima 3.5 is not God, as Alexander of Aphrodisias held, but rather an unchanging, eternally cognizing Intellect which serves as the indispensable condition for the operation of human intellect. It is “at the door” for each individual, ready to flow in as a stream of light—a light which renders potential objects of cognition knowable, just as visible light makes potentially visible objects visible—from outside that door (thyrathen) any time it is opened. Its existence cannot serve, however, as a proof of the immortality of human intellect, since, being unchanging, it can never possess a feature of human intellect which is characterized by nothing if not change, and that is memory.

Cite this article

Thomas M. Robinson . Aristotle, the Intellect, and Cognition[J]. Frontiers of Philosophy in China, 2014 , 9(2) : 229 -240 . DOI: 10.3868/s030-003-014-0019-9

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