Rae Harris | 2025 I.S. Symposium

Name: Rae Harris
Title: Neurobiology in Antiquity: Exploring Sense Perception in Greek and Roman Thought
Majors: Neurobiology; Classical Studies
Pathway: Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Advisors: Dr. Josephine Shaya; Dr. Monica Florence

How can we see the forest? How are we able to hear the call of birds? Why are we capable of enjoying a fine meal? All these questions have been asked by ancient philosophers and neurobiologists alike. This thesis compares the modern model of sense perception to those of Greek and Roman philosophers and argues that the classical models still hold value despite their erroneous conclusions. The classical models of sense perception are derived from Plato’s Timaeus, Aristotle’s De Anima, Lucretius’s De Rerum Natura, and various works of Galen, including De Usu Partium and De Placitis Hippocratis et Platonis.

This thesis presents the visual pathways proposed by each philosopher alongside the modern neurobiological understanding. The philosophical models sought to identify the mechanism of sensory information’s reception, the information’s transmission through the body, and its processing in the seat of consciousness into a unified perception. Similarly, neurobiologists interrogate the molecular changes that occur within the sense organ, the transduction and transmission of sensory information through the nerves, and the final processing in specialized brain regions.

This thesis demonstrates that the differences between ancient and modern sense perception are not as stark as they appear. It argues that rather than dismissing the philosophical models as “wrong,” contemporary scientists should acknowledge the contributions of the philosophers who built the very foundation of science itself. Philosophy and science were not always discrete fields. Even now, the desire of both philosophers and scientists remains united—the pursuit of knowledge.

Posted in Symposium 2025 on May 1, 2025.