Lecture
LAMS Colloquium "Physiology of Sleep According to Aristotle"
- Date
- Wednesday 13 November 2024
- Time
- Location
-
P.J. Veth
Nonnensteeg 1-3
2311 VJ Leiden - Room
- 1.03
The Leiden Centre for Late Antique and Medieval Studies is proud to announce a lecture by Julia Baranowska, a guest reseacher at our Institute.
Abstract
The very first systematic treatises on the physiology of dreaming, grounded in a naturalistic rather than divine approach, can be found in Aristotle’s Parva Naturalia, specifically in On Sleep, On Dreams, and On Divination in Sleep. This lecture outlines Aristotle’s most important ideas regarding the essence of waking, sleeping, and dreaming, as well as his skeptical perspective on the possibility of divination through dreams. In On Sleep, Aristotle defines sleep as the privation of waking, describing the physiological processes involved in falling asleep. He emphasizes the significant role of the koine aisthesis (common sense) located near the heart in this process. There is also an indication of a link between the digestive process and the initiation of sleep. On Dreams explores the origins of dreams, the connection between sensory experiences during wakefulness and the content of dreams, as well as the distinction between dreaming and imaginative thought. In On Divination in Sleep, Aristotle unequivocally denies that dreams can be divinely inspired, categorizing “prophetic” dreams into three types: those that reflect actions to be taken during the day, those signaling potential illnesses, and coincidental occurrences. This examination reveals Aristotle's naturalistic perspective, contrasting sharply with the supernatural interpretations of dreams prevalent in his time.