Avicenna on Compositive Imagination in the Context of Active Perception Debates

Authors : Mehmet Zahit Tiryaki

Pages : 293-326

Doi:10.12730/is.1751643

View : 129 | Download : 197

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The history of philosophy witnesses the tensions between the claim that the human mind is the mere perceiver of objective reality in the external world and the claim that the human mind is the founder of objective reality in the external world. Is the object perceived without any processing? Or is perception formed in the mind through certain processes? In classical philosophical psychology, including Avicenna\\\'s, the internal senses are referred to as the faculties that enable the relation between the purely rational and the purely material in the perception and movements of both celestial and human souls. The discussions about the imagination in this period are important not only in terms of the questions raised but also in terms of pointing to the areas of tension between the fragmentation, difference, and individuality in the sensory realm and the simplicity, commonality, and generality in the rational realm. This article analyses how Avicennian new internal senses scheme and especially compositive imagination influenced his position about active perception. To this end, firstly, the scheme of internal senses, which gained a new appearance with Avicenna, will be revealed. Secondly, how Avicenna redefines the functions of compositive imagination, especially regarding active perception, is analyzed.
Keywords : İbn Sînâ, iç duyular, mütehayyile, aktif algı

ORIGINAL ARTICLE URL