Single Idea 11992

[catalogued under 9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 8. Essence as Explanatory]

Full Idea

Three essentialist claims are labelled 'Aristotelian': the thing would cease to exist without the property; an essential property is explanatory; and it is such that it must belong to everything to which it belongs.

Gist of Idea

Aristotelian essences underlie a thing's existence, explain it, and must belong to it

Source

Joan Kung (Aristotle on Essence and Explanation [1977], Intro)

Book Reference

-: 'Philosophical Studies' [-], p.361


A Reaction

She says the second one is indispensable, and that it rules out the third one. My working assumption, like hers, is that the second one is the key part of the game, because Aristotle wanted to explain things.