Re-thinking the Prime Thinker

Some objects of thought such as mathematical thought and triangularity and liberty and God are universal and determinate (read: unambiguous, exact) in their conceptual content. Yet none of these objects is or ever could be perceived by the senses, like the dinner table is or some triangle drawn on the teacher’s chalkboard. Nobody encounters the concept of liberty in the wild or modus tollens like they do a beaver or some random fat lady. This observation is what has called for a distinction in us between various powers – a sensible power, on the one hand, and an intellectual power, on the other. Related to the former power (sense) we have perception, and memory, and imagination, etc. Whereas related to the latter power we have apprehension (or understanding) and judgment and reasoning.