Supra sensible - Philosophical Concept | Alexandria
Supra sensible: an encounter with that which lies beyond the reach of our senses, a realm stirring curiosity about untold possibilities and unseen dimensions that might permeate our existence, challenging the limits of what we accept as real, thus inviting skepticism around what "sense" we accept as "real." The concept of the Supra sensible, implying realities beyond immediate perception, echoes through history, emerging most explicitly during the Enlightenment era, an age of reason that, paradoxically, fueled interest in the limits of rationalism. Although not explicitly called "Supra sensible," Immanuel Kant, a towering figure of 18th-century philosophy, profoundly shaped our understanding of it. Kant wrestled with the boundaries of knowledge, famously distinguishing between phenomena (the world as we experience it) and noumena (the "things-in-themselves" existing independently of our perception), pointing to a Supra sensible realm accessible perhaps only through reason and faith, rather than through empirical observation. His Critique of Pure Reason (1781) is a cornerstone for understanding this division and its implications for metaphysics, epistemology, and even existentialism.
Interpretations of the Supra sensible blossomed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, influenced by thinkers like Rudolf Steiner, whose anthroposophy integrated spiritual science with empirical knowledge, proposing methods to explore the Supra sensible world consciously. Similarly, Carl Jung, while not using the term directly, posited the "collective unconscious," a shared realm of archetypes and symbols accessible through dreams and intuition, hinting at Supra sensible influences on human psychology. It is from this work that game theory and related experiment ethics started to blossom. These explorations were particularly compelling at the turn of the century due to the rise of nationalism, and questions around virtue signaling and the moral landscape. Even in contemporary culture we can find threads of the "Trolley Problem" through complex algorithms for self driving cars. Utilitarianism starts at the base of these. The enduring mystique of the Supra sensible lies in its defiance of empirical verification. While science strives to explain the universe through observable phenomena, the Supra sensible invites us to contemplate realities that might operate according to different laws or exist beyond our current capacity to measure or comprehend. Today, as advancements in physics explore the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and as neuroscience investigates consciousness itself, the concept of a Supra sensible reality not only persists but experiences a renaissance. It encourages not blind faith, but a profound humility, questioning the completeness of our knowledge and urging us to remain open to dimensions of existence yet to be fully explored. What possibilities might unfold if we dare to venture beyond the confines of our senses, challenging the very foundations of rational thinking?