Research: The physiology of perceptual processes: the role of heart and blood in the Aristotelian theory of perception.
This research aims to investigate the physiological implications of perceptual activity and to clarify the role of the heart and blood within the Aristotelian theory of perception. Through the analysis of the passages in which Aristotle refers to the existence of a central sensorium—particularly regarding the activity of integrating perceptual data from individual senses (cf. SV 455 a14; DS 449 a5-20; JS 469 a6-7)— this study aims at reconsidering crucial exegetical questions: what does the heart's involvement in the physiology of perception consist of? How does the material constitution of the heart and blood influence perceptual activity? How are perceptual data transmitted from the peripheral sense organs to the heart?
To address these questions, this research will be organized into four stages: (i) situating Aristotle’s cardiocentric model within its historical and philosophical context; (ii) examining cardiac anatomy and the vascular system as presented across his biological treatises; (iii) investigating the center-periphery dynamic and the role of blood in the transmission of perceptual data; (iv) framing perceptual error within a physiological context to identify the material causes of sensory fallibility.