Syneidesis, beyond the fragmentation of the spirit: An introduction to the theory of concrete consciousness and of thinking in images

Abstract

This article discusses the emergence of syneidesis (as active concrete consciousness) and thinking in images, as opposed to contemporary discussions about consciousness and thought as abstract representations. The working hypothesis assumed is that syneidesis – as sociocultural or ethical-political consciousness, which medieval thinkers called conscientia consequens (retrospective consciousness) – is historically and ontologically prior to the individual theoretical consciousness in its manifold forms and to the individual practical consciousness derived from it. The latter two are forms of what may be called conscientia antecedens (antecedent consciousness), and are typical of the thought of representation. From this perspective, the article first presents the general lines of syneidesis and then discusses thinking in images in its own right.