Combining Philosophers

Ideas for John Austin, Vincent C. Punzo and Roderick Chisholm

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3 ideas

9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / a. Individuation
Maybe we can only individuate things by relating them to ourselves [Chisholm]
     Full Idea: It may well be that the only way we have, ultimately, of individuating anything is to relate it uniquely to ourselves.
     From: Roderick Chisholm (Person and Object [1976], 1.5)
     A reaction: I'm guessing that Chisholm is thinking of 'ourselves' as meaning just himself, but I'm thinking this is plausible if he means the human community. I doubt whether there is much a philosopher can say on individuation that is revealing or precise.
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / d. Individuation by haecceity
Being the tallest man is an 'individual concept', but not a haecceity [Chisholm]
     Full Idea: Being the tallest man and being President of the United States are 'individual concepts', but not haecceities.
     From: Roderick Chisholm (Person and Object [1976], 1.4)
     A reaction: Chisholm introduces this term, to help him explain his haecceity more clearly. (His proposal on that adds a lot of fog to this area of metaphysics).
A haecceity is a property had necessarily, and strictly confined to one entity [Chisholm]
     Full Idea: An individual essence or haecceity is a narrower type of individual concept. This is a property which is had necessarily, and which it is impossible for any other thing to have.
     From: Roderick Chisholm (Person and Object [1976], 1.4)
     A reaction: [Apologies to Chisholm for leaving out the variables from his definition of haecceity. See Idea 15802] See also Idea 15805. The tallest man is unique, but someone else could become the tallest man. No one else could acquire 'being Socrates'.