Intelligence in Aristotle's Treatise On the Soul (De Anima)

In his treatise On the Soul (De Anima) Aristotle claims that human beings are the “most intelligent of animals” because they have the most precise sense of touch (DA 2.9, 421a23). But he does not explain what it is about the sense of touch that makes humans so intelligent. Some commentators claim that our precise sense of touch makes us better at grasping concepts, which in turn makes us better reasoners. But in my paper, I argue that having a precise sense of touch does not make humans more rational. Rather, I claim that humans are the most intelligent of animals, according to Aristotle, because they are able to discriminate between objects of perception better than other animals. This interpretation of intelligence digresses from commentators’ conventional understanding of intelligence as the ability to reason, i.e., understand an object’s essence. I support my thesis by first, outlining the link between intelligence and tactile perception in DA 2.9. Second, I explain how the texture of an animal’s flesh impacts their perceptual ability. And finally, I show that touch underlies all other perceptual capacities, which is why having a precise sense of touch makes human beings better at discriminating all sensible objects.