"Imagination" and "Ingenium" in Huarte's Examen de ingenios para las ciencias (1575)

Dai, Pengchen (2024) "Imagination" and "Ingenium" in Huarte's Examen de ingenios para las ciencias (1575). Master thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

My Master Thesis contributes to the inquiry into the concepts of "imagination" and "ingenium" during the early modern period, with a specific focus on their interpretations and uses in Juan Huarte de San Juan's seminal work, Examen de ingenios para las ciencias (1575). Taking a historical approach, my research embeds Huarte's text within the 16th-century social and intellectual context, providing a thorough analysis of Huarte's conceptualization of "ingenium" and the integral role of "imagination" within his tripartite model of ingenium, alongside understanding and memory. Building upon the extensive literature, my research offers further clarity on Huarte's conceptualization of "ingenium" as the generative power behind inventions across a wide range of sciences and arts, with the specific acts of creation attributed to the faculty of imagination. My analysis aligns with existing research that identifies Huarte’s redefinition of "ingenium" and "imagination." It confirms Huarte's deviation from earlier philosophical perspectives that posited imagination as a mere intermediary between senses and intellect. Instead, Huarte reinterprets imagination as a "reasonable power" with the connotation of inventiveness. He expands the scope of imagination beyond poetry and other artistic creations, highlighting its critical role in disciplines that necessitate prompt responses to specific scenarios, particularly in medical practice, as noted by historians of medicine. Therefore, my research suggests that by integrating imagination into his tripartite model of ingenium, Huarte demonstrates not only his inclination towards the practical application of knowledge, but also an initiative to endow his work with practical relevance within the early modern society.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Supervisor name:	Mulberger Rogele, A.C.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Theory and History of Psychology [Master Psychology]
Date Deposited:	11 Sep 2024 09:35
Last Modified:	11 Sep 2024 09:35
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4372

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