Book contents
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Introduction
- 1 The Nature of Philosophyin Mesoamerica
- 2 The Nature of Language
- 3 Time
- 4 Identity, Self, and Personhood
- 5 Creation and the Gods
- 6 Being and Worlds
- 7 Knowledge, Seeing
- 8 Ethics
- Conclusion: Mesoamerican Philosophy and the Contemporary World
- Bibliography
- Index
7 - Knowledge, Seeing
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2023
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Introduction
- 1 The Nature of Philosophyin Mesoamerica
- 2 The Nature of Language
- 3 Time
- 4 Identity, Self, and Personhood
- 5 Creation and the Gods
- 6 Being and Worlds
- 7 Knowledge, Seeing
- 8 Ethics
- Conclusion: Mesoamerican Philosophy and the Contemporary World
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter covers Mesoamerican conceptions of knowledge through the image of seeing. Knowledge is a matter not just of accessing stable and mind-independent truths about the world, but also involves an aspect of creativity and construction, according to Mesoamerican views. Knowledge requires sensation, which has a creative and participative aspect. We contribute to sensation as active partners with the world. The chapter discusses seeing, the rituals and texts associated with seeing, and the community of people, such as the daykeepers in the Maya tradition, tasked specifically with generation and transmission of knowledge.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- An Introduction to Mesoamerican Philosophy , pp. 192 - 210Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023