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Single Idea 11181

[filed under theme 9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 2. Hylomorphism / a. Hylomorphism ]

Full Idea

Aristotelian essentialism may best be understood on a 'natural' or 'causal' interpretation of the modal operators.

Gist of Idea

Aristotelian essentialism involves a 'natural' or 'causal' interpretation of modal operators

Source

Ruth Barcan Marcus (Essential Attribution [1971], p.189)

Book Ref

-: 'Nous' [-], p.189


A Reaction

I record this because I very much like the sound of it, though I have yet to fully understand it.


The 9 ideas from 'Essential Attribution'

Essentialist sentences are not theorems of modal logic, and can even be false [Marcus (Barcan)]
Aristotelian essentialism involves a 'natural' or 'causal' interpretation of modal operators [Marcus (Barcan)]
If essences are objects with only essential properties, they are elusive in possible worlds [Marcus (Barcan)]
The use of possible worlds is to sort properties (not to individuate objects) [Marcus (Barcan)]
'Essentially' won't replace 'necessarily' for vacuous properties like snub-nosed or self-identical [Marcus (Barcan)]
'Is essentially' has a different meaning from 'is necessarily', as they often cannot be substituted [Marcus (Barcan)]
Aristotelian essentialism is about shared properties, individuating essentialism about distinctive properties [Marcus (Barcan)]
In possible worlds, names are just neutral unvarying pegs for truths and predicates [Marcus (Barcan)]
Dispositional essences are special, as if an object loses them they cease to exist [Marcus (Barcan)]