← Glossary
Phantasia kataleptike (the cataleptic impression) is, in Stoic epistemology, the kind of impression that presents itself as true by virtue of its own inner clarity and consistency. It is distinguished from mere phantasmata (fancies or imaginings) and forms the starting point for rational judgment. The Stoic is to learn to distinguish between genuine cataleptic impressions and mere emotional reactions before granting assent (synkatathesis).