Single Idea 8522

[catalogued under 8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 13. Tropes / a. Nature of tropes]

Full Idea

The 'companionship difficulty' cannot arise if the members of the resemblance class are tropes rather than whole concrete particulars. The instances of having a heart, as abstract particulars, are quite different from instances of having a kidney.

Clarification

See Idea 7956 for Goodman's 'companionship difficult'

Gist of Idea

Tropes solve the Companionship Difficulty, since the resemblance is only between abstract particulars

Source

Keith Campbell (The Metaphysic of Abstract Particulars [1981], §6)

Book Reference

'Properties', ed/tr. Mellor,D.H. /Oliver,A [OUP 1997], p.134


A Reaction

The companionship difficulty seems worst if you base your account of properties just on being members of a class. Any talk of resemblance eventually has to talk about 'respects' of resemblance. Is a trope a respect? Is a mode an object?

Related Idea

Idea 7956 If all and only red things were round things, we would need to specify the 'respect' of the resemblance [Goodman, by Macdonald,C]