Katalepsis | Vibepedia

Katalepsis, a foundational concept in [[stoicism|Stoic philosophy]], refers to the 'grasping' or comprehension of reality through true impressions. It posits that the mind receives a constant stream of sensory and cognitive impressions, some of which accurately reflect external objects and truths, while others are deceptive. True katalepsis occurs when the mind apprehends an impression with such clarity and certainty that it cannot be mistaken, leading to assent – the affirmation of that truth. This process was central to the Stoic epistemology, serving as their criterion for distinguishing genuine knowledge from mere opinion, and was famously illustrated by [[zeno-of-citium|Zeno of Citium]] through a series of hand gestures.