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The Study on Alhazen's theory of imagination and perception : based on “Book of Optics”
The Journal of Aesthetics and Science of Art
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This article examines the perspective of Alhazen(Latin Name: Alhazen, Alhoen, Arabic Name: ابنالهيثم, 965-1040) and the theory about optics focusing on his writing, ‘Book of optics(Arabic Name: كتابآلالمناظير )’. The optical theory of Alhazen is based on Aristotle. However, it is also meaningful in regards that it presents a new theory of vision by synthesizing the natural scientific optics theory together. Alhazen divided how object is perceived visually in two ways. Then, he classifies visual perception as 6 inner senses and explains what process is required to cognize the quiddity of an object. Especially, the concept of imagination among the inner senses is a visual theory worth being noticed and performs three roles. First, for the recognition of objects, imagination is similar to the capacity of memory acts. In addition, imagination is necessarily needed faculty to cognize the true form of an object that has been verified and scrutinized. Lastly, sight restricted by time and space pays attention to the substance that exists in imagination and discernment. Substance existing in imagination is claimed to be existing as ‘true’ in the way of getting to know it through verification mathematics or geometry.
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