The term epinoia (usually translated as 'conception') is central in Gregory of Nyssa's philosophy of language, and thus crucial for understanding his negative theology as well as his ethics and related issues.
Suggested reading:
Thursday, october 18, 2pm. The Danish Institute in Athens. Herefondos 14."[...]conception is the method by which we discover things that are unknown, going on to further discoveries by means of what adjoins to and follows from our first perception with regard to the thing studied. For when we have formed some idea of what we seek to know, by adapting what follows to the first result of our discoveries we gradually conduct our inquiry to the end of our proposed research. But why enumerate the greater and more splendid results of this faculty? For every one who is not unfriendly to truth can see for himself that all else that Time has discovered for the service and benefit of human life, has been discovered by no other instrumentality than that of conception." (Answer to Eunomius' Second Book, NPNF, p. 268)
Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335-395)
Suggested reading:
- Answer to Eunomius' Second Book, GNO, ca. 142-192, NPNF 2.5, ca. pp. 264-270 (which includes the above passage) (see http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf205.viii.ii.ii.html)
- Excerpt from Gregory of Nyssa's Answer to Eunomius' Second Book (NPNF, Schaff, P. 1892) with added numeration (referring to the GNO section/line numbers) (PDF)
- See also more quotes and references from Gregory on epinoia here.
