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Sensation images pain and judgement

Animal acuity and bodily size

acies; acutus; sollers; astutus; ingeniosus; audens; prudens; sagax; quantitas

Acies is the sharpness or directing edge of sight; the animal predicates distinguish skill, cunning, ingenuity, boldness, practical intelligence and discernment.

From the book

Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume II

Marsilio Ficino · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Orientation

At a Glance

  • The wordAcies is the sharpness or directing edge of sight; the animal predicates distinguish skill, cunning, ingenuity, boldness, practical intelligence and discernment.
  • In the Platonic TheologyThe small pupil gathers the appearance of a large visible body, even heaven.
  • In this editionThe edition keeps impartibile as “impartible,” preserving its relation to indivisibility rather than merely translating it as “small.”
  • A place to readEye size, both animal series, inward sense and the promise concerning reason form one ordered argument.

Meaning

Acies is the sharpness or directing edge of sight; the animal predicates distinguish skill, cunning, ingenuity, boldness, practical intelligence and discernment. They are not a single numerical measure of reason. Quantitas and magnitudo concern bodily size.

Use in the book

The small pupil gathers the appearance of a large visible body, even heaven. Ficino then contrasts the eagle’s keen sight with the ox’s larger eyes. This leads to an argument from the greater sufficiency of inward sense and, beyond it, the soul’s substance: a superior power should not require an increase of bodily magnitude to accomplish its activity.

The animal comparisons block two opposite necessary correlations. If size necessarily improved the soul’s gifts, the bee could not be more skillful than the sheep, the fox more cunning than the pig, the ape more ingenious than the ass, or the lion bolder than the ox. If size necessarily harmed those gifts, the elephant could not be more prudent than the horse, or the dog more discerning than the lamb. The second set is essential. Ficino is not simply claiming that smaller animals are always cognitively better.

These historical assessments of animal capacities are illustrations in his argument. They should not be converted into a scientific ranking of intelligence. Their function is to loosen the supposed dependence of sensing and practical ability on sheer bulk. The final inference is comparative: if quantity does not explain powers concerned with bodily quantities, still less will it explain reason, which transcends them. Reason’s full treatment is promised later.

Places to read

  1. VII.3.1Eye size, both animal series, inward sense and the promise concerning reason form one ordered argument.

Translation in this edition

The edition keeps impartibile as “impartible,” preserving its relation to indivisibility rather than merely translating it as “small.” A tiny pupil and a power without quantitative parts are related steps in the argument, not interchangeable objects.

acies / acute videre

acies / acute videre. Printed forms: acies; acrius; acutior; acutius.

Sharp sight or greater acuity of perception. Sharper sight is contrasted with larger eyes, and common sense’s superior acuity with dependence on bodily quantity. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

apis / ovis / sollertia

apis / ovis / sollertia. Printed forms: apis; ove; sollertior.

Bee and sheep contrasted in skill or resourcefulness. The smaller bee’s supposed greater skill is an example against size necessarily improving the soul’s gifts. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

aquila / bos

aquila / bos. Printed forms: aquilae; bove; bovis.

Eagle and ox as animal comparators. The eagle illustrates keener sight in smaller eyes; the ox later supplies the comparison for the lion’s boldness. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

canis / agnus / sagacitas

canis / agnus / sagacitas. Printed forms: agno; canis; sagacior.

Dog and lamb contrasted in discernment. The example belongs to the second series, showing that smaller size is not always cognitively preferable. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

colligere / impartibilis

colligere / impartibilis. Printed forms: colligi; impartibile.

To gather into one; not capable of partition. The gathering of a vast visible image into the pupil prepares the inference toward an impartible sensory power. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

conducere / nocere

conducere / nocere. Printed forms: conducat; conduceret; noceat; noceret.

To benefit and to harm or hinder. Both necessary dependence on greater size and necessary disadvantage from it are tested and rejected by opposite animal examples. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

elephas / equus / prudentia

elephas / equus / prudentia. Printed forms: elephas; equo; prudentior.

Elephant and horse contrasted in practical intelligence. The larger elephant reverses the earlier pattern, blocking the rule that size necessarily harms the soul’s abilities. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

leo / audacia

leo / audacia. Printed forms: audentior; leo.

Lion and greater boldness. Boldness is one of several animal gifts and should not be merged with reasoning, acuity or moral virtue. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

quantitas / dimensio

quantitas / dimensio. Printed forms: dimensionibus; quantitas; quantitate; quantitatis.

Bodily quantity and the dimensions composing extended size. The book repeatedly asks whether quantitative extension is necessary to acuity or one comprehension; inward power is not equated with a smaller bodily piece. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

ratio / transcendere

ratio / transcendere. Printed forms: rationem; transcendit.

Reason as the power going beyond bodily quantity. The chapter reserves its fuller treatment for later and distinguishes it from the senses whose objects remain bodily. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

simia / asinus / ingenium

simia / asinus / ingenium. Printed forms: asino; ingeniosior; simia.

Ape and ass contrasted in ingenuity. This is another counterexample to a necessary positive correlation between bodily bulk and cognitive aptitude. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

sufficientia / indigere

sufficientia / indigere. Printed forms: egeat; indigeat; indigere; indiget; sufficientior.

Adequacy in one’s activity and needing something to perform it. The superior power is said to be more sufficient if it needs no quantitative bodily extent. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

valere

valere. Printed forms: valere; valet.

To have efficacy or count in producing a result. Bodily size is denied decisive explanatory force for cognitive gifts; harmony lacks power to act on its strings. References: VII.3.1, VII.10.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.

vulpes / sus / astutia

vulpes / sus / astutia. Printed forms: astutior; sue; vulpes.

Fox and pig contrasted in cunning. The comparison is Ficino’s illustrative animal lore, not a measured contemporary intelligence ranking. References: VII.3.1. See Animal acuity and bodily size.