La teoría de la percepción sensorial y de la cognición de Demócrito y su recepción posterior

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to offer a plausible reconstruction of Democritus’ general theory of sense perception and cognition, which will be based on a thorough analysis of the testimonies by Theophrastus, Aristotle, Sextus Empiricus and Galen, and will also consider the list of Democritus’ works by Thrasyllus transmitted by Diogenes Laërtius (IX 45‑49). From this analytical exercise emerges a new perspective on Democritus' position on psychic-cognitive operations, in which the exclusively material level os such explana-tions stands out, even if not undermining the clear lexical differentiation between sensory perception and cognition established for the first time in the history of Greek thought.