Abstract
For Aristotle, human cognition has a lot in common both with non-human
animal cognition and with divine cognition. With non-human animals, humans
share a non-rational part of the soul and non-rational cognitive faculties
(DA 427b6–14, NE 1102b29 and EE 1219b24–6). With gods, humans share
a rational part of the soul and rational cognitive faculties (NE 1177b17–
1178a8). The rational part and the non-rational part of the soul, however,
coexist and cooperate only in human souls (NE 1102b26–9, EE 1219b28–31).
In this chapter, I show that a study of this cooperation helps to uncover some
distinctive aspects of human cognition and desire.