IMPASIBILIDAD Y ASIMILACIÓN. DOS EXIGENCIAS EN CONFLICTO PARA LA TEORÍA ARISTOTÉLICA DE LA SENSOPERCEPCIÓN*

This paper explores the tension between literalist and intentionalist interpretations of Aristotle’s theory of perception, focusing on the failure of the alloiôsis model to account for the immaterial reception of sensible forms. Through a close reading of DA 2.7 and 2.11, I argue that the transition undergone by the sensory organ displays an anomalous structure, fundamentally irreducible to ordinary material immutatio. Central to this thesis is the role of the diaphanous medium (metaxy), which –far from being a mere conductor–exerts a «separating» role, allowing the sensible form to leave behind its material substrate and present itself to the perceptual organ. By virtue of its compositional affinity with the medium, the organ serves not as a substrate of inherence, but as a locus of appearance. This shift in perspective explains how the corporeal organ can assimilate the sensible quality while preserving its impassibility.