Sensorium

Sensorium refers to the sum of an organism's perception, the "seat of sensation" where it experiences and interprets the environments within which it lives. The term originally entered English from the Late Latin in the mid-17th century, from the stem sens- (see sense) + -orium (see -ory). In its original uses it was close in meaning to "the five senses"; in modern uses it is often more abstract.

The sensorium is the total character of the unique and changing sensory environments perceived by individuals. These include the sensation, perception, and interpretation of information about the world around us by using faculties of the mind, such as senses, phenomenal and psychological perception, cognition and intelligence.

Etymology and usage

The term "sensorium" comes from the Latin words sensus, meaning "sense", and orium, a noun-forming suffix. Its first known use was in 1646. In its earliest uses, it referred to the faculty of sensation, the seat of physical sensation, or the "five senses". In more recent uses, it often refers to the total character of the unique and changing sensory environments perceived by individuals.

In medicine

In medicine, sensorium refers to an individual's consciousness; it is a measure of one's ability to think and to perceive the relationship between oneself and one's environment. There are various degrees of sensorium, from full consciousness to stupor to coma. A patient's sensorium can be tested by asking the patient simple questions about time, place, and person.

In philosophy

In philosophy, the sensorium is considered the seat of sensation, the part of the mind or the brain where sensation is received and interpreted. The concept of the sensorium has been used by philosophers such as John Locke and Immanuel Kant.

See also

• Consciousness
• Perception
• Sensation (psychology)
• Sensory system

References

Sensorium Resources
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