A Case of Aristotelian-Scholastic Nonrealism about Sensible Qualities: Peter Auriol on Sounds and Odors

This paper presents the defense by the medieval philosopher Peter Auriol of the thesis that sounds and odors have no real, mind-independent being, but exist only as mental correlates of acts of hearing and smelling. Auriol does not see this as an idiosyncratic position, as he claims to be following not only Aristotle, but also Averroes on the issue. Since it is often thought that nonrealism about sensible qualities was “inconceivable” for medieval authors and was made possible only by the early modern scientific revolution led by Galileo, it is crucial to bring Auriol’s position to the fore. Auriol’s view and its alleged roots in Arabic philosophy invite us to reassess our standard narrative in the history of philosophy and science.