A sense is a physiological capacity of organisms that provides data for perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology (cognitive science), and philosophy of perception.

The nervous system has a specific sensory system or organ, dedicated to each sense. Humans have a multitude of senses. Sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch are the five traditionally recognized.

Allegory of the Five Senses (Pietro Paolini, c. 1630)

At first glace, this is simply a scene in a darkened inn frequented by the poor and down-and-out. Embedding a classical allegory (a symbolic representation) in such a subject makes it especially intriguing. Each person acts out one of the five senses: sound is represented by the woman with a lute, at center; taste, by the man emptying a flask of wine; smell, by the young man with a melon; sight, by the man on the right holding a pair of spectacles; and touch, by the two people who are fighting (left background).

Paolini's allegory dates from his early years in Rome, where he studied the paintings of Caravaggio, known for their realism and strong chiaroscuro (modeling in light and shade).

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