The basic mechanism of the intellectual cognition in Thomas Aquinas

Abstract

The article analyses and interprets the basic structure of the process of intellectual cognition in Thomas Aquinas. After a short chapter on sense cognition, Aquinas?s understanding of the active intellect is presented, that is the illumination of the phantasms and the abstraction of the intelligible species by the active intellect. Special attention is given to the difference between the phantasm and the intelligible species. Consideration of the possible intellect shows two steps, the reception of the intelligible species and the creation of the concept, inner word or intentio intellecta. After that, two basic operations of the possible intellect are analyzed, simple apprehension and judgment. The article ends with a series of questions, pointing to possible problems in Aquinas?s understanding.

Development and Standardization of Gurukula Kangri Metacognition Awareness Scale in Higher Education Students

“…He named this type of attaining knowledge as spiritual cognition. This is distinct from sensory knowledge and intellectual knowledge which is obtained through sensory perception and use of process of understanding concepts by postulating logical conclusions (Baltuta, 2013;Milidrag, 2022). (Reynolds, 2003) argued that one knows realities external to the self by means of their awareness in oneself.…”