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Full Idea
Saying that 'a has the property of being identical with a' is a roundabout way of saying nothing - a useless tautology - and means not more than 'a is a'
Gist of Idea
The 'property' of self-identity is uselessly tautological
Source
Max Black (The Identity of Indiscernibles [1952], p.66)
Book Ref
'Metaphysics - An Anthology', ed/tr. Sosa,E. /Kim,J. [Blackwell 1999], p.66
A Reaction
This matter resembles the problem of the number zero, and the empty set, which seem to be crucial entities for logicians, but of no interest to a common sense view of the world. So much the worse for logic, I am inclined to say.
| 10193 | The 'property' of self-identity is uselessly tautological [Black] |
| 10195 | If the universe just held two indiscernibles spheres, that refutes the Identity of Indiscernibles [Black] |
| 10194 | Two things can only be distinguished by a distinct property or a distinct relation [Black] |
| 10196 | The Axiom of Choice needs a criterion of choice [Black] |