Single Idea 9075

[catalogued under 18. Thought / E. Abstraction / 8. Abstractionism Critique]

Full Idea

If we have a science of the healthy, and the healthy happens to be white, the science of the healthy does not deal with the white.

Gist of Idea

If health happened to be white, the science of health would not study whiteness

Source

Aristotle (Metaphysics [c.324 BCE], 1077b30)

Book Reference

Aristotle: 'Metaphysics', ed/tr. Lawson-Tancred,Hugh [Penguin 1998], p.399


A Reaction

Given this point, we certainly cannot think of Aristotle as believing in simple abstractionism. The problem of the coextension of renates and cordates looms here (Idea 7317). 'Relevant' similarities require extensive cross-referencing.

Related Idea

Idea 7317 'Renate' and 'cordate' have identical extensions, but are not synonymous [Quine, by Miller,A]