Sensationalism is one of the directions in the study of the theory of knowledge, which is based on the notion that reliable knowledge rooted in feelings.
Translated from lat. sensus - sensation, feeling.
Sensationalism is closely related to empiricism(studies the theory of knowledge and assumes that the content of knowledge is reduced to sensory experience) and evaluates the ratio of reasonable-discursive and sensory cognition, while contrary to rationalism(method of cognition, based on which the source of action is the mind).
There is a principle of sensationalism: "There is nothing in the mind that was not previously in the feeling." He confirms that sensationalism is a form of knowledge through feelings, sensations, perceptions and ideas. This principle has remained since antiquity and is applied in philosophy today. It is opposed to the doctrine of the a priori knowledge (knowledge before experience).
Among the representatives of this trend, one can single out such philosophers and thinkers as J. Locke, Etienne Bonnot de Condillac, Epicurus, Protagoras, Hessendi, Berkeley, Hume, Hobbes, Diderot and others.
The use of the term "sensualism" began thanks to Cousin, it was he who introduced it into philosophy, but this term has not been fixed. Today, sensationalism is a direction in epistemology, which is opposed to intellectualism and rationalism.
Key points
Innate ideas are denied. In other words, only the derivative meaning of reason is recognized, and not the primary one. Knowledge is reduced to sensation - knowledge is obtained from sensations, and sensations from experience.
Based on this, the surrounding world is both a source of knowledge and an aspect. This is both the similarity and difference between the two trends: sensationalism and materialism, since the representatives of these trends understand the world around them differently.
Who are the sensationalists?
Sensualists are usually called adherents of this philosophical direction. Sensualists believe that the main form of knowledge is sensations.
Major sensualist philosophers are:
- Ethier Bonnot de Condillac;
- Protagoras;
- John Locke.
In his writings, Condillac put forward the theory that from sensations are derived: memory, attention and thinking. What can be concluded from - there are no laws of thought. He also showed the creation of the illusion of independent spiritual processes, in no way dependent on sensation. He believed that the need thinking is a habit, which, due to its constancy, has become inseparable, and the source of knowledge is the criterion of truth, which has boundaries and character. Since sensation is dependent on impressions, and experience can be called random (irrational), the same random character can be attributed to knowledge.
In the theory of sensationalism, the ancient Greek philosopher Protagoras expresses idealism. Idealized socialism sees sensory activity as an independent sphere of consciousness. Protagoras argued that sensory perception is the source of human knowledge, while sensibility conveys some data from certain states, but not about external things that are the causes of these states.
Opinion J. Locke clearly expressed in modern philosophy. An important role in the development of sensationalism was played by his opinion that there are two sources of knowledge - these are sensation and reflection, while in more detail he considered the significance of sensation, which he wrote about in his work “An Essay on Human Understanding”.
Subject based on the beliefs of sensationalism
John Stuart Mill, based on mental factors, determines that the object (matter) is the possibility of feelings. Condillac's assertions are reminiscent of such a theory. Based on his statements, the subject is the combined ideas about it (size, hardness, density, etc.), obtained through sensitivity (for example, touch). Thus, to get the concept of the subject, you can with the help of feelings.
Sensationalism and criticism
It is important to note that thanks to sensationalism in philosophy, a psychological analysis of the factors of sensation and perception by representatives of this direction was carried out. In their attempts to determine the significance of these factors, scientists have taken considerable effort. Particularly noteworthy opinion of Condillac. However, this analysis also has drawbacks. He has a biased attitude: what is put into sensation is not at all what is characteristic of him, since memory creates thinking, imagination and consciousness, and not sensation. The activity of consciousness, in turn, manifests itself due to these forms and the worked out material of these forms.
Representatives of sensationalism judge the activity of consciousness as a whole, mechanize it, which is why these incorrect conclusions lead to wrong psychological analysis. Critics believe that this direction limits knowledge and generates false conclusions.
Relationship with other areas
- Sensationalism as a form of subjective idealism.
This statement is opposite to the fact that the essence of the spirit can be present in the activity of the mind (Fichte the Elder). If we talk about empiricism, then this direction has a certain similarity with sensationalism: the same view of the importance of experience in cognition.
- Stoicism and Epicureanism.
Even in antiquity, sensationalism was used in the systems of Epicurus and the Stoics. Epicurus believed that the criterion of truth lies in sensation - and its formation comes from an image that separates from an object. The image enters the system of sensations and is perceived by this system artificially.
The Stoics believe that the soul is material, only in this materialism elements of pantheism are used. Through these elements one can judge the soul. According to them, the soul is active. The Stoics agree with the Epicureans: sensation is the source. At the same time, it is added that the soul manifests activity in sensation.
Philosophy of the New Age
The newest time in philosophy is the time since 1918. If we talk about sensationalism after the revolution, then this direction continued to be defended by Tolbe. This thinker in his writings again makes a revolution - from phenomenalism to materialism. In the twentieth century, such a variety of sensationalism was formed as empiriocriticism. This direction was developed by R. Avenarius and E. Mach. Thinkers of the New Age believed that sensations are embedded in feelings, manifestation of will and mood.
Sensationalism and sensationalists
Philosophy of the New Age- the period of development of philosophy in Western Europe in the XVII-XVIII centuries, characterized by the formation of capitalism, the rapid development of science and technology, the formation of an experimental mathematical worldview. This period is sometimes referred to as the era of the scientific revolution. Sometimes nineteenth-century philosophy is also included, in whole or in part, in modern philosophy. Key figures in the philosophy of mind, epistemology, and metaphysics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries fall into two main groups: the rationalists and the empiricists.
Rationalism- a method according to which the basis of knowledge and action of people is the mind. In modern philosophy, the ideas of rationalism are developed, for example, by Leo Strauss, who proposes to apply the rational method of thinking not by itself, but through maieutics. Other representatives of philosophical rationalism include Benedict Spinoza, Gottfried Leibniz, Rene Descartes, Georg Hegel, and others. Rationalism usually acts as the opposite of both irrationalism and sensationalism.
Sensationalism- direction in the theory of knowledge, according to which sensations and perceptions are the main and main form of reliable knowledge. Opposes rationalism. The basic principle of sensationalism is "there is nothing in the mind that would not be in the senses." The principle of sensationalism refers to the sensory form of cognition, which, in addition to sensation and perception, includes representation.
Major sensualist philosophers: Protagoras - an ancient Greek philosopher, one of the senior sophists; Epicurus; John Locke; Etienne Bonnot de Condillac. It is now common to call sensationalism a well-known trend in solving epistemological issues, the opposite of intellectualism or rationalism. The main views of sensationalism are as follows. He denies innate ideas, in other words, recognizes only a derivative, not original meaning for the mind. Sensationalism reduces all knowledge to sensation: the mind receives all its content from sensations, and sensation from experience; thus, the external world is the source and criterion of knowledge.
Empiricism- a direction in the theory of knowledge, recognizing sensory experience as a source of knowledge and assuming that the content of knowledge can be presented either as a description of this experience, or reduced to it. Empiricism is characterized by the absolutization of experience, sensory cognition, belittling the role of rational cognition (concepts, theory). As an integral epistemological concept, empiricism was formed in the 17th-18th centuries. Experience in the narrow sense of the word means knowledge. But the individual can be understood as: 1) a subjective sensation, if we are talking about external experience, or as a “single representation”, if we are talking about internal experience; 2) the perception of something singular that has an existence independent of consciousness in the form of a part of the external world and continues to exist, apart from consciousness, and at a time when perception is interrupted.
19) Basic Basic Ideas of Enlightenment Philosophy
Idea of the Enlightenment is the idea of the development of mankind on the basis of the expanding application of reason and the moral order associated with it. Enlightenment teaches a person to be the master of his actions, to rely on his own mind. Introduces a promising idea: ideals are not behind, but ahead. The ideal is a regulative idea. Being and value are torn apart (value is an idea, it does not yet exist). A bright future begins to be deified, displacing God (a valuable alternative to religion). God is no longer needed. Atheism becomes possible. From here - encyclopedism: dictionaries, magazines, brochures, moralizing novels.
The main features of education: In the philosophy of education, the highest values are elevated progress, which is understood as the historical perfection of the human race on the basis of the expanding application of reason.
The idea of human progress as a value alternative to religion makes materialism possible (Didero, Holbach, Lamitri, Helvetius). The Church (as an institution) is perceived as a defender of the unreasonable, an obstacle to the Enlightenment: anticlericalism. Atheism (Didero) or deism (Voltaire, Rousseau).
Theory of reasonable selfishness: if a person reasonably defends his interests, then he will thereby contribute to the progress of the human race.
The idea of historicism and historical optimism, based on the conviction that reason is a beneficent force that determines progress, leading to freedom and brotherhood of people, to universal happiness. The future is monotonous for all mankind, since the principles of reason are considered absolute, the same for all.
Evolutionism when the idea of development begins to be applied to the explanation of nature.
Two stages in the Age of Enlightenment:
1) Deistic developed most systematically by Voltaire. It combined the materialistic and anti-cleric ideas of the French f. 16th-17th centuries with English achievements. philosophy and natural sciences: Bacon's empiricism, Locke's sensationalism, Newton's physics. Deist philosophers have made a major contribution to the development of epistemological and socio-political. problems
2) From the 2nd floor. 40s 18th century leading role in F. f. starts playing atheistic materialism of La Mettrie, Diderot, Helvetius, Holbach(“great French materialists,” according to Engels), which was the highest form of development of pre-Marxist materialism in the countries of the West. Europe. It is presented in fullest detail in "The system of nature"(1770) Holbach. Coming through deism as a stage of his philosophy. development, the great French. materialists rejected not only theism, but also pantheism and deism. They revealed the presence of two antagonistic trends in the history of philosophy - materialism and idealism (spiritualism), linking their origins with the names of Democritus and Plato, and made a decisive contribution to the constitution of materialism as an integral atheistic. a worldview opposed to theology and idealism.
The philosophy of the Enlightenment is heterogeneous, it contains: a materialistic worldview orientation; idealistic worldview orientation; atheistic views; deistic views.
The articles of dictionaries and encyclopedias, pamphlets and polemical publications are widely disseminated scientific and philosophical ideas, which are presented in a lively, intelligible, witty form, attracting people not only with logical evidence, but also with emotional inspiration.
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov
sensationalism
(se), sensationalism, pl. no, m. (from Latin sensualis - sensual) (philosophical). An idealistic philosophical direction that recognizes sensations, sensory perceptions as the only source of knowledge.
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova.
sensationalism
A, m. A philosophical direction that recognizes the sensations of perception as the only source of knowledge.
adj. sensationalistic, th, th.
New explanatory and derivational dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.
sensationalism
m. A philosophical direction that recognizes sensations as the only source of knowledge.
Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998
sensationalism
SENSUALISM (from Latin sensus - perception, feeling) is a direction in the theory of knowledge, according to which sensations, perceptions are the basis and main form of reliable knowledge. Opposes rationalism. The basic principle of sensationalism - "there is nothing in the mind that would not be in the senses" - was shared by P. Gassendi, T. Hobbes, J. Locke, K. Helvetius, D. Diderot, P. Holbach, and also J. Berkeley, D. Hume.
Sensationalism
(French sensualisme, from Latin sensus - perception, feeling, sensation), a direction in the theory of knowledge, according to which sensuality is the main form of knowledge. In contrast to rationalism, S. strives to derive the entire content of knowledge from the activity of the sense organs.
In the history of philosophy, opposing materialistic and idealistic trends are defined. Materialistic philosophy sees in the sensory activity of a person the connection of his consciousness with the external world, and in the indications of his sense organs a reflection of this world. Idealistic S. sees in sensory activity a kind of independent and self-existing sphere of consciousness. Idealism was already outlined in S. Protagoras: proclaiming sensory perception as the only source of our knowledge, he at the same time argued that sensibility gives people data only about their own states, but by no means about external things that are their causes. The system of consistently materialistic S. was formulated by Epicurus. A more moderate S., consisting in recognizing as true not every sensory perception, but only that which arises in consciousness under certain conditions, was developed by Stoicism, to which the classical formula of S. goes back: there is nothing in the mind that would not have been in the senses before.
Prominent representatives of materialistic S. in the 17th century. were P. Gassendi, T. Hobbes and J. Locke. The latter, proceeding from the fundamental formulas of S., made an attempt to derive from sensory experience the entire content of human consciousness, although he admitted that the mind has a spontaneous power that does not depend on experience.
The inconsistency of Locke's S. was used by J. Berkeley, who completely rejected external experience and began to consider sensations ("ideas") as the property of only human consciousness, that is, he interpreted S. idealistically. However, Berkeley's subjective-idealistic S. did not maintain his original principle, introducing the idea of God, whose activity, according to Berkeley, determines the emergence of all ideas of the human spirit. The subjective-idealistic sensationalism of D. Hume, based on agnosticism, served as the foundation of subjective-idealistic phenomenalism, which forms the basis of such trends in bourgeois philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries as positivism, empirio-criticism, and neo-positivism.
The most prominent representatives of materialistic socialism were the French materialists of the 18th century. J. La Mettrie, C. Helvetius, D. Diderot, P. Holbach. Overcoming Locke's inconsistency and rejecting Berkeley's idealism, they connected sensations as the basis of all knowledge with the objective world as their source. The materialistic sensationalism of L. Feuerbach is in contrast to the speculative-speculative idealism that dominated him. philosophy of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, asserted the immediate reliability of sensory knowledge. At the same time, Feuerbach understood that sensibility is only the starting point of cognition, the complex process of which necessarily includes the activity of reason and reason. However, the S. of the French materialists and Feuerbach suffered from limitations associated with a lack of understanding of the specifics of the rational level of knowledge.
Dialectical materialism, based on the recognition of the socio-practical nature of cognition, links together the sensual and rational forms of cognition, reveals the dialectic of their interaction.
Lit. see under the articles Sensation, Reflection, Theory of knowledge.
V. V. Sokolov.
Wikipedia
Sensationalism
Sensationalism(from, - perception, feeling, sensation) - a direction in the theory of knowledge, according to which sensations and perceptions are the main and main form of reliable knowledge. Opposes rationalism. The basic principle of sensationalism is "there is nothing in the mind that would not be in the senses." The principle of sensationalism refers to the sensory form of cognition, which, in addition to sensation and perception, includes representation.
Major philosophers-sensualists:
- Protagoras is an ancient Greek philosopher, one of the senior sophists.
- Epicurus
- John Locke
- Etienne Bonnot de Condillac
The term sensationalism was introduced into general use by Cousin, who, in his Histoire générale de la philosophie, contrasts sensationalism with idealism and, consequently, denotes by this term the direction that is now commonly called materialism. This meaning of the term sensationalism did not survive. It is now customary to call sensationalism a well-known trend in the solution of epistemological questions, opposite to intellectualism or rationalism. The main views of sensationalism are as follows. He denies innate ideas (Condillac, "Essai sur l'origine des connaissance humaines," I, ch. 2, § 9), in other words, recognizes only a derivative, not original meaning for the mind. Sensationalism reduces all knowledge to sensation: the mind receives all its content from sensations (“Nihil est in intellectu quod non ante fuerit in sensu”), and sensation from experience; thus, the external world is the source and criterion of knowledge. This point contains both the similarity and the difference between sensationalism and materialism. Both directions claim that the source of all our knowledge is the external world, but the external world is understood by them in completely different ways. Materialism believes in the complete or partial identity of the content of sensations with the qualities of an object, which sensationalism does not recognize. Condillac, in his "Traité des sensations" (ch. I, § 2), declares that a statue endowed with a sense of smell experiences only a purely subjective state when it smells the scent of a rose ("les odeurs ne sont à son égard que ses propres modifications ou manières d "être") On the question of the relation of sensations to the qualities of an object, Condillac refrains from judging at all, considering this question to be idle ("Tr. d. S.", 4th part, ch. 5, note to § 1). Thus, sensationalism by no means leads to materialism, on the contrary, it is easier to derive subjectivism from it. This makes sensationalism related to subjective idealism (for example, Fichte), the difference between them lies only in understanding the activity of the subject. For subjective idealism, the essence of consciousness consists in the synthetic activity of the mind , and sensation is only one and, moreover, the lowest stage of this activity; for sensationalism, on the contrary, all the activity of consciousness consists in sensation, thinking is derived from it (“La sensation enveloppe toutes les facultés de l'ame” - “Trait e des Sens., I, ch. 7, § 2). This idea is briefly expressed by Helvetius in the words: "juger, c'est sentir." It follows from this identification of thinking with sensation that there are no special laws of thought. The history of the formation of sensations, as detailed by Condillac in his Traité des Sens. ”, tells how memory, attention and thinking are formed by themselves from sensations, and how the illusion of independent spiritual processes is created, independent of sensation; in reality, the necessity of thought is nothing but a habit or an association which, by virtue of frequent repetition, has become inseparable. All knowledge is always based on a certain sensation, therefore, knowledge can always be only private; generalizations do not correspond to anything real. The source of knowledge at the same time determines both its character and its limits; this source is thus the criterion of truth. Since sensation depends on impressions coming from outside - a position taken on faith by the sensualists - all experience is something accidental, irrational, relative, then all knowledge must be attributed to an accidental and relative character. Mill, based on psychological facts, gives the following definition of matter: matter or an object is nothing but a constant possibility of sensations. This definition is fully consistent with the spirit of sensationalism, and we already find hints of it in Condillac, from the point of view of which an object is a set of ideas about size, density, hardness, that is, a combination of ideas obtained from different categories of sensations, mainly touch, and for the formation ideas about an object do not need to think of a carrier of qualities or a substrate. Such, in general terms, is the epistemology of sensationalism.
It is to the credit of sensationalism that he drew attention to a more detailed psychological analysis of the facts of sensation and perception, trying to determine the significance of sensations in cognition in general and the significance of individual categories of sensations. In this regard, the work of Condillac deserves special attention. However, the psychological analysis of sensationalism suffers from the fact that it looks from a preconceived point of view on the facts to be analyzed. Sensationalism, like a conjurer, puts into sensation everything that is not at all characteristic of sensation in itself and that sensationalism triumphantly extracts from it. It is not sensation that creates consciousness, memory, imagination and thinking, but the synthetic activity of consciousness manifests itself in these different forms depending on the different material with which it operates. Sensationalism mechanizes, belittles the activity of consciousness, and wants to judge all activity by its most elementary manifestation.
Incorrect psychological analysis also corresponds to incorrect epistemological conclusions - an unjustified limitation of the field of knowledge, an incorrect explanation of its features, an incorrect indication of the criterion of truth. Historically, sensationalism has manifested itself in various ways and at different times, intertwined with materialism, empiricism, and subjective idealism; It is therefore difficult to write a history of sensationalism without introducing alien elements into it. The combination of sensationalism with materialism is a contradictio in adjecto, for the very possibility of sensation, as Condillac was perfectly aware, excludes materialism, presupposing the existence of a faculty of the spirit. In itself, sensationalism is a certain form of subjective idealism, opposite to that which (for example, Fichte the elder) sees the essence of the spirit in the activity of reason. With empiricism, sensationalism has a common point of departure in psychological analysis and a common view of the meaning of experience.
In antiquity, sensationalism can be noted in the systems of Epicurus and the Stoics. Sensations are formed, according to Epicurus, by the fact that images are separated from objects, which fall into the organs of sensation and are forcibly perceived by them. Every feeling is true. In sensations lies the criterion of truth; anything that does not meet this criterion is false.
Although Stoicism developed in constant controversy with Epicureanism, the two schools of thought have much in common. The soul, according to the Stoics, is material; but the materialism of the Stoics contains pantheistic elements, which allowed them to insist on the unity of the soul, on the power of rational activity as the root feature of the human soul. The soul of the Stoics is not passive, like the Epicurean, but active. In the doctrine of sensation, the Stoics make an essential addition to the Epicurean theory: everything arises from sensations - in this the Stoics agree with the Epicureans; but in sensations, the Stoics add, the activity of the soul manifests itself. In the Stoic assertion that all representations arise from sensations, that everything general is formed from the individual, that the criterion of truth lies in and in the interpretation that they give to this criterion, the principles of sensationalism are clear, with which the doctrine of the activity of the mind has not fully coped.
In the new philosophy, the spread of sensationalism was promoted by Locke; although he was an empiricist and considered himself partly a student of Descartes, it is nevertheless undoubted that his Essay on Human Understanding contributed to sensationalism. Of the two sources of knowledge - sensations and reflection - Locke considered the first in much more detail. His doctrine of reflection suffers from the same uncertainty that is noticeable in his reasoning about substance, so that it was not difficult to deduce a consistent sensationalist doctrine from Locke. In the introduction to his New Essays on Human Understanding, Leibniz reduces the disagreement between sensationalism and rationalism to a few basic points, and Locke, albeit with reservations, attributes the sensualist teaching that the soul is a tabula rasa, that all knowledge comes from external experience, not excluding and the truths of mathematics, We find consistent sensationalism in the writings of Condillac, namely in his Essai sur l'origine des connaissances humaines, Traité des sensations, and Traité des systèmes. Despite the imperfection of his psychological method, the complete absence of an experimental character in his research, built on speculative, a priori assumptions, Condillac's work remains significant in the history of psychology. Helvetius' book De l'esprit does not add anything fundamentally new to the Treatise on Sensations, although Helvetius has a greater inclination towards materialism than Condillac. Katt wrote an addition to Condillac in Traité des sensations et des passions en général. Boppé imitated Condillac in the sense that his starting point is an imaginary statue endowed with life. The entire school of so-called French ideologists is more or less dependent on Condillac, with whom some of its representatives argue, others agree.
Tolbe took over the defense of sensualism in modern times, in the writings "Neue Darstellung des Sensualismus" (1855), "Die Grenzen und der Ursprung der menschlichen Erkenntniss im Gegensatz zu Kant und Hegel" (1865) and "Grundzüge einer extensionalen Erkenntnisstheorie" (posthumous essay, 1875, not completed). The sensationalism of the newest time represents again a turn from the phenomenalism of Condillac to materialism (such, for example, is the work of A. Mayer'a "Die Lehre von d. Erkenntniss", Lpts., 1875), explained by the general strengthening of materialistic tendencies in the 60s and 70s gg. See Harms, "Die Philosophie in ihrer Geschichte" (I, "Psychologie", B., 1878, II: "Logik", 1887); Picaret, "Les idéologues" (P., 1891), Cousin, "Histoire générale de la philosophie" (P., 1861).
Examples of the use of the word sensationalism in the literature.
Eyes and hands stand behind it, evidence and tangibility: for an age endowed with plebeian tastes, this acts charmingly, convincingly, convincingly - after all, it instinctively follows the canon of truth of the eternal folk sensationalism.
And although Hobbes in many ways, in particular in the field of knowledge, comes close to sensationalism Bacon, in his philosophical views, he also relies on European continental thought, primarily on the rationalism of Descartes.
In his philosophical judgments, Collins, relying on sensationalism Locke, draws certain materialistic conclusions.
In it he connects sensationalism Locke with the mechanistic-materialistic doctrine.
Recognizing experience, sensations as the only source of our knowledge, Kant directs his philosophy along the line sensationalism, and through sensationalism, under certain conditions, and materialism.
So, sensationalism there is at least a guiding hypothesis, not to say a heuristic principle.
From what has been said, it is evident that Locke is an adherent of empiricism and sensationalism, but despite this, in reasoning about the reliability of our knowledge, he distinguishes two stages: indisputable and plausible knowledge.
Already in this work, his attempts to re-interpret sensationalism Locke in the sense of strengthening the subjective-idealistic moments.
His philosophy is an organic continuation of the line emanating from sensationalism Locke.
In essence, he continues the principles sensationalism, but in answering the question of what is the cause or source of our sensations, it differs from both Locke and Berkeley.
They largely came from sensationalism Locke, continuing and developing the materialistic tendencies contained in his views.
In his approach to questions of the theory of knowledge, he was influenced by sensationalism Locke, was in many ways close to the thoughts of the philosophizing physician D.
Thus, Reid's teaching does not overcome weaknesses. sensationalism Locke, especially the views of Berkeley or Hume.
La Mettrie comes from sensationalism Locke and unequivocally recognizes the objective basis of our sensations - the external world.
In the field of the theory of knowledge, he essentially adopts the principles sensationalism Locke.
In P. A. Vyazemsky’s poem “The First Snow” (1817) there are such lines that describe the cognitive attitude that dominates in youth:
Young ardor glides through life so,
And to live in a hurry, and to feel in a hurry!
In vain is it entrusted to various whims;
Carried away by boundless desire,
She sees no place for herself anywhere.
Happy summers! It's time for heartache!
Sensationalism(from lat. sensus-"perception", "feeling", "sensation") - a direction in epistemology, which considers sensations to be the only source and basis of knowledge. The formula of sensationalism: "there is nothing in the intellect that would not be in sensation" (Nihil est in intellectu quod non sit us in sensu).
In Antiquity, sensationalism was represented by a metaphor tabula rasa(lat. - “smooth, clean board”). The human soul was compared to a clean wax tablet filled with images and concepts.
Let us give an example from the dialogue "Theaetetus" by Plato.
Socrates. So, to understand me, imagine that there is a wax tablet in our souls; for some it is larger, for some it is smaller, for one it is purer wax, for another it is more dirty, or for some it is harder, while others are softer, but some have it in moderation.
Theaetetus. Imagined.
Socrates. Let's say now that this is a gift from Mnemosyne, the mother of the Muses, and by placing it under our feelings and thoughts, we make an imprint in it of what we want to remember from what we have seen, heard or invented by ourselves, as if leaving fingerprints on it. And what hardens in this wax, we remember and know, as long as the image of this remains, when it is erased or there is no longer room for new prints, then we forget and no longer know.<...>And that's what they say comes from here. If the wax in someone's soul is deep, abundant, smooth and sufficiently mashed, then what penetrates here through sensations is imprinted in this, as Homer said, the heart of the soul, and it is not by chance that the “heart” sounds almost the same as wax, and the resulting signs of people are pure, quite deep and thus durable. It is these people who lend themselves best to learning, and they also have the best memory, they do not mix signs of sensations and always have a true opinion.<...>When this heart, which our wise poet sang, is shaggy, or when it is dirty and not made of pure wax and is either too loose or hard, then those who have it loose, although they are understanding, turn out to be forgetful, but those who have firm , - vice versa; those who have wax that is not smooth, rough and stony, mixed with earth and manure, those get indistinct imprints. They are unclear both in those who have hard wax tablets, because they have no depth, and in those who have them too soft, because the prints, spreading, become illegible. If, in addition to all this, someone else has a little soul, then, closely crawling one on top of the other, they become even more illegible.
Speaking in favor of sensationalism, Hobbes argued: "There is not a single concept in the human mind that has not been generated initially, in whole or in part, in the senses." French philosopher Claude Adrian Helvetius(1715-1771) believed that thinking is feeling. “... A person's knowledge never achieves more than his feelings give,” he wrote. “Everything that is inaccessible to the senses is also not achievable for the mind.” French philosopher Etienne Bonnot de Condillac(1715-1780) considered all thought processes as metamorphoses of sensations: “Judgment, reflection, desire, passions, etc. are nothing but sensation itself in its various transformations.
Cover of the London edition of the book by T. Hobbes "Leviathan, or Matter, form and power of the state, ecclesiastical and civil" ("Leviathan or The Matter , Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil"). 1839
To illustrate the role of sensations in the awakening of consciousness, Condillac devised a thought experiment in which an "unfeeling marble statue" is successively endowed with sensations. The smell of a rose gives rise to the ability to experience pleasure and pain, as well as the ability to pay attention. The memory of pleasant and unpleasant sensations gives rise to desire, comparison and judgment. The final stage in the development of sensation is reflection. Thanks to touch - the teacher of all senses - the statue distinguishes itself from other bodies. The tactile experience orients the statue in the world.
Sensationalism still raised serious doubts due to the fact that sensory data give grounds to judge not so much about external objects as about the states of the subject.
In jurisprudence, legal sensationalism is represented psychological school of law - teaching Lev Iosifovich Petrazhitsky(1867-1931) about legal experiences as a source and basis of legal relations. Feelings of right and duty, guilt, suffering and fear, various affects induce a person to claim and fulfill someone else's will. Petrazhitsky drew attention to the phenomenon of the legal psyche and its decisive role in legal consciousness. This made it possible to explain the lawful behavior of people who are poorly familiar with the rule of law. On the other hand, not every experience leads to the emergence of a legal relationship, since it can be a fantasy.
- Plato. Theaetetus // Plato. Collected works: in 4 volumes. T. 2. M., 1993. S. 251-252, 255.
- Hobbes T. Leviathan, or Matter, form and power of the church and civil state // Hobbes G. Works: in 2 vols. T. 2. M., 1991. P. 9.
- Helvetius K. A. About a man // Helvetius K. A. Works: in 2 volumes. T. 2. M., 1974. S. 555.
- Condillac E. Treatise on sensations // Condillac E. Works: in 3 volumes. T. 2. M., 1982.
SENSATIONALISM
Philosophy: Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: Gardariki. Edited by A.A. Ivina. 2004 .
SENSATIONALISM
(French sensualisme, from lat. sensus - perception, feeling, feeling), a direction in the theory of knowledge, according to which sensibility is ch. form of authentic knowledge. In rationalism, S. strives to derive the entire content of knowledge from the activity of the sense organs. S. is close to empiricism, which recognizes feelings. unity experience. source of reliable knowledge.
In the history of philosophy formed opposed to each other materialistic. and idealistic. directions of S. Materialistic. S. sees in feelings. human activity of his consciousness with ext. world, and in the testimony of his senses - this world. Idealistic S. sees in feelings. activities, some self-existing sphere of consciousness. Idealism was already outlined in S. Protagora: proclaiming feelings. unity perception. source of our knowledge, he at the same time argued that sensibility communicates data to people only regarding their own states, but by no means about ext. the things that cause them. The system is consistently materialistic. S. was formulated by Epicurus. A more moderate S., consisting in the recognition of not every feeling as true. perception, but only arising in the mind during the definition of cases. conditions, was developed by Stoicism, to which (similar to Aristotle) rises classic. S.'s formula: "there is nothing in the mind that would not have been in the senses before."
Prominent representatives of the materialistic S. at 17 v. were Gassendi, Hobbes and Locke. The latter, based on main S.'s provisions, made an attempt to withdraw from feelings. experience is all human content. consciousness, although he admitted that the mind has a spontaneous power that does not depend on experience. The inconsistency of Locke's S. was used by Berkeley, who completely rejected ext. experience and began to consider sensations ("ideas") as only human property. consciousness, i.e. S. interpreted idealistically. However, Berkeley's subjective-idealistic S. could not stand his original principle, introducing the idea of God, which, according to Berkeley, determines the emergence of all "ideas" human. spirit. Hume's sensationalism, based on agnosticism, served as the foundation of the subjective-idealistic. phenomenalism, which forms the basis of such trends bourgeois philosophy 19-20 centuries as positivism and neopositivism.
The most prominent representatives of the materialistic S. would French materialists 18 v. La Mettrie, Helvetius, Didro, Tolbach, who connected sensations as the basis of all knowledge with the objective world - their source. Condillac's contemplative sensationalism became agnostic and positivist. Materialistic Feuerbach's sensationalism, as opposed to the speculative-speculative idealism that prevailed in German philosophy con. 18 - early 19 centuries, claimed directly. authenticity of feelings. knowledge. However, S. French materialists and Feuerbach suffered from limitations associated with a lack of understanding of the specifics of the rational level of knowledge.
The most prominent representatives of the mother-alistic. S. were French. 18th century materialists La Mettrie, Helvetius, Diderot, Holbach.