
Rationality in Perception: Transformations of Mind and Cognition 1250-1550
Objective
Due to increasing difficulties in explaining the unity and objectivity of perceptual experience, late medieval authors came to question the dominant Aristotelian theory, with its passive account of perception and emphatic separation between sensory and intellectual functions. This led to a resurfacing of the Augustinian tradition, which is characterized by an emphasis on activity and top-down processing, built around the notions of intentionality and self-awareness.
The project investigates the hypothesis that perception changes from being explained on the basis of a model of the soul that is metaphysically composite of really distinct clusters of functions to a model in which rationality permeates the functions previously attributed to lower cognitive capacities. It is the 'flow of reason', an expression found in a late sixteenth-century textbook.
The project has therefore two main objectives:
(1) to offer the first systematic study of late medieval theories of perception, focusing on the relation between the senses and intellect
(2) to retrace the shift in late medieval philosophy of perception that led to (a) a progressive questioning of direct realism in cognition and (b) the incremental reduction of all psychological functions to the mind.
The results of the project will allow a better understanding of the philosophical assumptions of late medieval theories of cognition, shedding new light on the historical background of early modern and contemporary conceptions of rationality.
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting Grant

Host institution
HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Address
Yliopistonkatu 3
00014 Helsingin Yliopisto
Finland
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
EU Contribution
€ 1 415 627,50
Beneficiaries (1)
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HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
Finland
EU Contribution
€ 1 415 627,50
Project information
RiP
Grant agreement ID: 637747
Status
Ongoing project
-
Start date
1 April 2015
-
End date
31 March 2020
Funded under:
H2020-EU.1.1.
-
Overall budget:
€ 1 415 627,50
-
EU contribution
€ 1 415 627,50
Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RiP (Rationality in Perception: Transformations of Mind and Cognition 1250-1550)
Reporting period: 2016-10-01 to 2018-03-31
Project information
RiP
Grant agreement ID: 637747
Status
Ongoing project
-
Start date
1 April 2015
-
End date
31 March 2020
Funded under:
H2020-EU.1.1.
-
Overall budget:
€ 1 415 627,50
-
EU contribution
€ 1 415 627,50
Deliverables
Deliverables not available
Publications
Project information
RiP
Grant agreement ID: 637747
Status
Ongoing project
-
Start date
1 April 2015
-
End date
31 March 2020
Funded under:
H2020-EU.1.1.
-
Overall budget:
€ 1 415 627,50
-
EU contribution
€ 1 415 627,50
Project information
RiP
Grant agreement ID: 637747
Status
Ongoing project
-
Start date
1 April 2015
-
End date
31 March 2020
Funded under:
H2020-EU.1.1.
-
Overall budget:
€ 1 415 627,50
-
EU contribution
€ 1 415 627,50