The way things seem or appear to us initially.
Technically, they are mental presentations of representations of something.
These can be generated by the world, but do not necessarily accurately represent the world.
Stoics held that all impressions can be represented by a statement that is true or false ("There is a cat in a box").
We form beliefs by assenting to impressions ("I agree that there is a cat in the box").
Impressions are a key Stoic idea, because they remind us that what we think about the world might not necessarily be true.
Achieving knowledge is developing a standard to tell the difference between which impressions are true and which are false.
Greek: Phantasia
φαντασία.
Book: Essential Stoic Concepts
Subtitle: A Stoic glossary
Author: Stoa
Chapter: Impression
Location: Chapter 17, Section 2
Content:
The way things seem or appear to us initially.
Technically, they are mental presentations of representations of something.
These can be generated by the world, but do not necessarily accurately represent the world.
Stoics held that all impressions can be represented by a statement that is true or false ("There is a cat in a box").
We form beliefs by assenting to impressions ("I agree that there is a cat in the box").
Impressions are a key Stoic idea, because they remind us that what we think about the world might not necessarily be true.
Achieving knowledge is developing a standard to tell the difference between which impressions are true and which are false.
Greek: Phantasia
φαντασία.