30. Sensory Reception and the Immateriality of Knowing

Subscribe in Podcast App | Download Transcript

Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

Immaterial Reception in Sensation #

• Sense receives sensible species without matter (sine materia), analogous to wax receiving the impression of a signet ring without receiving the gold or bronze
• The sense organ retains its own form while receiving the form of another—unlike material reception where matter loses one form to acquire another as its own
• This is reception as other rather than reception as one’s own, distinguishing it from both material alteration and from rational knowledge

Three Types of Reception #

1. Material Reception: Matter loses its form to acquire another form as its own (e.g., marble carved into a statue, dough stamped into a shape)
2. Sensory Reception: Form received as the form of another while the sense organ retains its own nature (e.g., the eye receiving the shape of Thomas while remaining an eye)
3. Rational Reception: Most immaterial; intellect grasps the natures of things while retaining its own nature (e.g., understanding what a dog is without becoming a pit bull)

The Harmony or Ratio of Sense Organs #

• Sense organs possess an internal ratio or proportion—a delicate harmony of parts—that enables sensation
• This harmony can be disturbed or destroyed by excessive stimuli (loud sounds, bright lights, strong flavors), causing temporary or permanent sensory impairment
• Unlike reason, which becomes more capable when engaging with more profound objects, the senses are incapacitated by excessive input
• Example: plucking violin strings too forcefully destroys the concord, just as excessive sensory input disrupts the sense organ’s proportion

The Distinction Between Sensation and Knowing #

• When the sense organ materially receives heat or cold (the body’s temperature approaching the stimulus temperature), sensation diminishes even though material reception increases
• This opposition shows that two different kinds of reception are occurring in sensation simultaneously
• The more the body takes on the water’s temperature as its own (material reception), the less one senses the temperature as other (knowing)
• This dynamic is crucial to understanding why sensation differs fundamentally from material alteration

Key Arguments #

Argument for Immaterial Reception in Sensation #

1. Sensation receives form without the sense organ losing its own form and nature
2. Material alteration requires the matter to lose one form to acquire another as its own
3. Therefore, sensation involves a unique, immaterial mode of reception distinct from material change
4. This immaterial reception is that the form is received as other, not as one’s own form

Argument for Reason’s Immateriality (from Contrast with Sensation) #

1. Excessive sensory stimuli destroy or impair sense organs (loud sounds cause deafness, bright lights blind)
2. Excessive intellectual objects do not impair reason; understanding profound truths makes lesser truths easier to grasp
3. A philosopher understanding deep metaphysical truths can appreciate wine and music better than one who hasn’t
4. This difference reveals that senses are material organs while reason is immaterial

Argument from the Senses’ Vulnerability #

1. Sense organs are material and possess a delicate ratio/proportion
2. This ratio can be disturbed by excessive stimuli, causing damage (burning out taste with hot peppers, dulling hearing with loud music)
3. This material vulnerability does not apply to reason
4. Therefore, senses are bodily organs but reason is not

Important Definitions #

Species (Sensible Form) #

The form of a sensible object received by the sense organ without the matter; what is received in sensation

Ratio or Proportio (Harmony/Proportion) #

The delicate internal balance or harmony of a sense organ that enables it to function properly; can be disturbed by excessive stimuli

Immaterial Reception (sine materia) #

Reception of form as the form of another while retaining one’s own form and nature; characteristic of both sensation and intellection, though in different degrees

Material Reception #

Reception wherein matter loses one form to acquire another form as its own; the form becomes the receiver’s own form

Reception as Other vs. Reception as One’s Own #

Critical distinction: in knowing (both sensory and rational), the form is received as other; in material alteration, the form is received as the matter’s own form

Examples & Illustrations #

The Signet Ring and Wax #

Wax receives the impression of a golden or brazen signet ring without receiving the gold or bronze; similarly, sense receives the form of a sensible object without receiving the matter

The Marble and Wood #

When an artist carves marble or wood, the matter loses its previous form to acquire the new form as its own (alteration). This is unlike sensation, where the sense organ does not lose its form to become colored or sounding

The Shower and Ocean Examples #

• Hot Shower: Warmth felt intensely at first entry; as the body’s temperature rises toward the water’s temperature, sensation diminishes. Material reception (body taking on water’s temperature) interferes with knowing (sensing the temperature difference)
• Cold Ocean: Cold felt acutely upon entry; adaptation occurs as the body takes on the water’s temperature. The first shock is most keenly felt
• The dynamic shows that material and sensory reception work in opposition

The Pool Descent (Cooling Effect) #

A man diving to the pool bottom with a snorkel for 15-20 minutes experiences intense cold initially, then adaptation. The sense of cold is most acute when the body temperature contrasts sharply with the water temperature

Taste Destroyed by Strong Flavors #

• Eating hot peppers destroys the sense of taste temporarily (burning sensation prevents enjoying the meal)
• Eating sour candies as a child dulls taste sensitivity over time
• Strong mustard on pastrami prevents appreciation of fine wine
• These illustrate how excessive stimuli damage the sense organ’s harmony

The Wine Tasting Accident #

A doctor who drinks coffee quickly before wine tasting burns his tongue on the hot coffee. Though his sense of smell remains good, his sense of taste has been temporarily affected, preventing him from properly tasting fine wine

The German Wine Example #

A German wine labeled mit Prädikat has a balance (ratio) between sweet and acid that is refreshing; without this label, the wine is sickeningly sweet. The sense delights in what is well-proportioned

Questions Addressed #

How does sensation differ from material alteration? #

Sensation receives form as other without the sense organ losing its own form and nature. Material alteration requires the matter to lose one form to acquire another as its own. Sensation is thus a unique, immaterial mode of reception.

Why do excessive sensory stimuli damage sense organs while excessive intellectual objects enhance reason? #

Because sense organs are material and possess a delicate ratio/proportion that can be disturbed. Reason is immaterial and therefore not subject to material constraints. A philosopher understanding profound truths finds lesser truths easier to grasp; but a man who tastes something very strong in flavor is prevented from tasting other things temporarily.

How can the sense organ retain its own nature while receiving the form of another? #

The form is received as other, not as the sense organ’s own form. The eye receives the shape of Thomas while remaining an eye; it does not become Thomas. This contrasts with material alteration where the form becomes the matter’s own form.

Why are the senses vulnerable to destruction by excess while reason is not? #

Because the senses are bodily organs with a delicate material harmony that can be disrupted. Reason has no bodily organ and is entirely immaterial, so excessive intellectual objects cannot disturb it but rather perfect it.