On Cognition

The vital and immanent operation of the soul by which something is made manifest (to the soul). First condition: has to proceed from the sensitive soul at the very least. For this reason cognition is repugnant to all things that lack a sensitive soul; but where a sensitive soul is present so is the power of cognition. Since this operation proceeds from the soul, its considered vital. As psychology explains, it belongs to the nature of a vital act that it be immanent. For an operation to be called transitive it must have its term outside the subject in an external matter like writing or cutting; its called immanent when the term is in the agent itself like meditating or willing. Therefore, cognition is an operation which remains in the knower himself and is ordered to the proper perfection of the knower. Secondly its required that through cognition something is made manifest to the soul. Its through cognition that the soul assimilates to itself something extrinsic and by assimilating it makes it manifest to itself. This is seen best in the cognition of the external sense of sight (vision); for we’re said to see when something is shown to us through sight. Now all cognition may be called vision in a broad/ambiguous manner; hence all cognition is a certain manifestation and illumination. Now since cognition is manifestation, is clear that 2 elements are required: 1. To which the manifestation is made. 2. That which is manifested. The first (1) is the faculty/power; the other (2) is the object. For the object to be known it must affect the power, touch the power, be united to power. Only 2 modes can be conceived for how the object will be present to the power: 1. The object is present to the power according to itself in its physical being, 2. Becomes present through something that acts as its substitute. Its clear that the first mode isnt possible ex: in order for me to know a tree, i dont need to have the tree physically united to my faculty. Therefore it must be present through something that acts as its substitute and representative. The sub’ of this object has intentional/ideal being. Ergo, cognition is born from the power and the object united to the power intentionally. Now since cognition requires that the object be present to the faculty according to intentional beings, hence beings that cant receive the forms of other things in an intentional manner are without cognition. Vegetative cognition cannot exist since vegetative beings dont receive other beings according to a representative and ideal being, but only according to material and physical being. The forms of other things are received in an intentional manner in those that do possess intellective life. Hence a dog possessing the power to receive within itself a tree through some likeness of the tree. There’s therefore a 2fold cognition in general: sensitive and intellective. Sensitive cognition: act of an organic faculty that extends only to material and singular things; intellective cognition: the act of a spiritual faculty thats properly concerned with the essences of things, with spiritual and universal things. Sensitive cognition = sensation; intellective cognition = thought.