Illustration by Ryan McAmis/BA Reps
Illustration by Ryan McAmis/BA Reps
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Scientists have long known that there’s much more to our experience than the five senses (or ‘outward wits’) described by Aristotle – hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste. Yet the myth of five senses persists, perhaps because a clearer understanding of our sensory experience at the neurological level has only recently started to take shape. In this instalment of Aeon’s In Sight series, the British philosopher Barry C Smith argues that the multisensory view of human experience that’s currently emerging in neuroscience could make philosophising about our senses much more accurate, and richer, allowing philosophers to complement the work of scientists in important ways. But first, philosophy must catch up to the major advances being made in brain science.
Producer: Kellen Quinn
Interviewer: Nigel Warburton
Editor: Adam D’Arpino
Assistant Editor: Daphne Rustow
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