Combining Philosophers

All the ideas for Herodotus, Donald C. Williams and Jennifer Hornsby

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5 ideas

8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 13. Tropes / a. Nature of tropes

8510	'Socrates is wise' means a concurrence sum contains a member of a similarity set [Williams,DC]
	Full Idea: 'Socrates is wise' means that the concurrence sum (Socrates) includes a trope which is a member of the similarity set (Wisdom).
	From: Donald C. Williams (On the Elements of Being: I [1953], p.119)
	A reaction: Resemblance has to be taken as a basic (and presumably unanalysable) concept, which invites Russell's objection (Idea 4441).

8508	A 'trope' is an abstract particular, the occurrence of an essence [Williams,DC]
	Full Idea: I shall divert the word 'trope' to stand for the abstract particular which is, so to speak, the occurrence of an essence.
	From: Donald C. Williams (On the Elements of Being: I [1953], p.115)
	A reaction: Thus tropes entered philosophical discussion. Presumably the precedent for an 'abstract particular' would be a particular occurrence of the number 7.

8509	A world is completely constituted by its tropes and their connections [Williams,DC]
	Full Idea: Any possible world, and hence, of course, this one, is completely constituted by its tropes and connections of location and similarity.
	From: Donald C. Williams (On the Elements of Being: I [1953], p.116)
	A reaction: Note that Williams regularly referred to possible worlds in 1953. This is a full-blooded trope theory, which asserts that objects are bundles of tropes, so that both particulars and universals are ontologically taken care of.

20. Action / A. Definition of Action / 5. Action as Trying

20082	Bodily movements are not actions, which are really the tryings within bodily movement [Hornsby, by Stout,R]
	Full Idea: Hornsby claims the basic description of action is in terms of trying, that all actions (even means of doing other actions) are actions of trying, and that tryings (and therefore actions) are interior to bodily movements (which are thus not essential).
	From: report of Jennifer Hornsby (Actions [1980]) by Rowland Stout - Action 9 'Trying'
	A reaction: [compression of his summary] There is no regress with explaining the 'action' of trying, because it is proposed that trying is the most basic thing in all actions. If you are paralysed, your trying does not result in action. Too mentalistic?

29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / a. Immortality

1513	The Egyptians were the first to say the soul is immortal and reincarnated [Herodotus]
	Full Idea: The Egyptians were the first to claim that the soul of a human being is immortal, and that each time the body dies the soul enters another creature just as it is being born.
	From: Herodotus (The Histories [c.435 BCE], 2.123.2)