During the fourteenth century there were two main theories concerning the intension and remission of qualities, understood as accidental forms. The supporters of the first theory considered that a quality increases or decreases due to the addition or subtraction of its own parts, whereas the defenders of the second one considered that a quality increases or decreases due to the successive substitution of a previous form with a new one. Ockham advocated the first account regarding mental states understood as qualities. Chatton advocated in his first writings both theories but, in his mature writings, he defended only the second one. Ockham and Chatton's theories are based on different views concerning the nature of change. In addition, both theories involve different mechanisms regulating the greater or lesser perfection of a mental state.Key words: William of Ockham, Walter Chatton, mental states, intension and remission, philosophy of mind. ResumenEn el siglo XIV se propusieron dos teorías principales para explicar el aumento y la reducción de las cualidades, entendidas éstas como formas accidentales. Quienes defendían alguna de estas dos teorías sostenían que una cualidad aumenta o se reduce Recibido: 24 -04 -2015. Aceptado: 05 -06 -2015

No abstract

According to Ockham and Chatton, every cognitive process through which one genuinely cognizes a mental state involves a reflexive act of the will. They think that such an act is necessary to explain why we do not genuinely cognize every present mental act. With respect to a present extra-mental thing, an act of the will can only be elicited once such thing has been intuitively apprehended, because according to both authors one cannot voluntarily desire something whose existence one does not know. However, with respect to mental acts, Ockham and Chatton maintain the opposite: an act of the will precedes the simple apprehension of a straight or direct act. As a consequence, in both theories of consciousness the same problem arises: how can the will want something that it does not know? This article presents Chatton’s and Ockham’s responses to this question.

No abstract

No abstract