Combining Texts

Ideas for 'The Strangest Man', 'New Essays on Human Understanding' and 'fragments/reports'

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3 ideas

15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 2. Psuche
The rational soul is in the chest, and the non-rational soul is spread through the body [Epicurus]
     Full Idea: Democritus and Epicurus say the soul has two parts, one which is rational and is situated in the chest area, and the other which is non-rational and is spread throughout the entire compound of the body
     From: Epicurus (fragments/reports [c.289 BCE])
     A reaction: [source Aetius 4.4.6]
Soul is made of four stuffs, giving warmth, rest, motion and perception [Epicurus, by Aetius]
     Full Idea: Epicurus says the soul is a blend of fiery stuff (for bodily warmth), airy stuff (rest), breath (motion), and a nameless stuff (sense-perception).
     From: report of Epicurus (fragments/reports [c.289 BCE]) by Aetius - fragments/reports 4.3.11
     A reaction: Obviously Epicurus thought the four stuffs were different combinations of atoms, rather than being elements. Is there no stuff which gives reason? Reason must reduce to motion, presumably.
15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 7. Animal Minds
Animal thought is a shadow of reasoning, connecting sequences of images by imagination [Leibniz]
     Full Idea: The sequences of the brutes are but a shadow of reasoning, that is to say, they are but connexions of imagination, transitions from one image to another.
     From: Gottfried Leibniz (New Essays on Human Understanding [1704], Pref)
     A reaction: This account of animal thought cannot capture the fact that they are motivated by their images, and obviously make decisions based on them. Externally, there is usually an obvious reason why even an insect does something.