PHL 3305 Lecture 15

« previous | Wednesday, October 2, 2019 | next »

Abstraction

"taking something away" from the whole

abstracting the form of a horse into a mental concept. This action still retains "reference" to the real, living horses that gave rise to the abstraction.

Substance

Let's try this again...

(primary) substance is that which can take on potentially opposite characteristics

• e.g. a rock can be hot or cold
• secondary substance is the name given to universal natures, e.g. man or horse

Accidents: Attributes of Substance

(See wikipedia:Categories (Aristotle)→)

1. Quantity (ποσόν, poson, how much).
   • The extension of an object, may be either discrete or continuous. Further, its parts may or may not have relative positions to each other.
   • Examples: two cubits long, number, space, (length of) time.
2. Relative (πρός τι, pros ti, toward something).
   • The way one object may be related to another.
   • Examples: double, half, large, master, knowledge.
3. Quality or qualification (ποιόν, poion, of what kind or quality).
   • Characterizes the nature of an object.
   • The word quality is used in four ways (species):
     1. habit and disposition (one or the other based on permanence)
     2. a natural ability (or inability)
     3. sensible, affective (e.g., taste, color, temperature)
     4. figure, form, shape
   • Examples: white, black, grammatical, hot, sweet, curved, straight.
4. (Being in a) Position, posture, attitude (κεῖσθαι, keisthai, to lie).
   • A condition of rest resulting from action. Thus position may be taken as the end point for the corresponding action.
   • Also frequently taken to mean relative position of parts of an object (usually living), given that the position of the parts is inseparable from the state of rest implied.
   • Examples: lying, sitting, standing.
5. Acting, doing, action (ποιεῖν, poiein, to make or do).
   • The production of change in some other object (or in the agent itself qua other).
   • Examples: to lance, to cauterize.
6. Being acted upon, affected, affection (πάσχειν, paschein, to suffer or undergo).
   • The reception of change from some other object (or from the affected object itself qua other).
   • n.b., Action is to affection as the active voice is to the passive voice—as acting is to being acted on
   • Examples: to be lanced, to be cauterized.
7. Time, when (πότε, pote, when).
   • Position in relation to the course of events.
   • Examples: yesterday, last year.
8. Place, where, space (ποῦ, pou, where).
   • Position in relation to the surrounding environment.
   • Examples: in a marketplace, in the Lyceum.
9. Condition, having, state (ἔχειν, echein, to have or be).
   • A condition of rest resulting from an affection (i.e. being acted on).
   • Also frequently refers the physical accoutrements of a person or object.
   • Examples: shod, armed; as accoutrements of one's shoes, arms.