Diderot, la costruzione dell’immagine e la distanza critica

This essay examines Denis Diderot's analysis of sensory and mental image formation, drawing primarily from his works "Letter on the Blind" and the "Salons." The paper highlights the significant differences between blind and sighted perception, underscoring the crucial roles of experience and attention. The discussion then broadens to explore the heuristic and critical value of images in art and philosophy, including concepts like "mad images" and metaphors. It argues that maintaining a critical distance from these representations is essential for fostering intellectual and social understanding, and for enabling acts of rebellion. Ultimately, this analysis reveals the complex relationship between reason and imagination in Diderot's thought, emphasizing the fundamental importance of representations—even imperfect ones—for the advancement of knowledge and progress.