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Single Idea 11840

[filed under theme 9. Objects / F. Identity among Objects / 8. Leibniz's Law ]

Full Idea

It is only to things which are indistinguishable and one in essence [ousia] that all the same attributes are generally held to belong.

Gist of Idea

Only if two things are identical do they have the same attributes

Source

Aristotle (Sophistical Refutations [c.331 BCE], 179a37)

Book Ref

Aristotle: 'Sophistical Refutations, On the Cosmos etc (III)', ed/tr. Forster,E.S. /Furley,D.J. [Harvard Loeb 1955], p.121


A Reaction

This simply IS Leibniz's Law (to which I shall from now on quietly refer to as 'Aristotle's Law'). It seems that it just as plausible to translate 'ousia' as 'being' rather than 'essence'. 'Indistinguishable' and 'one in ousia' are not the same.


The 7 ideas from 'Sophistical Refutations'

Reasoning is a way of making statements which makes them lead on to other statements [Aristotle]
Didactic argument starts from the principles of the subject, not from the opinions of the learner [Aristotle]
Dialectic aims to start from generally accepted opinions, and lead to a contradiction [Aristotle]
Competitive argument aims at refutation, fallacy, paradox, solecism or repetition [Aristotle]
'Are Coriscus and Callias at home?' sounds like a single question, but it isn't [Aristotle]
Generic terms like 'man' are not substances, but qualities, relations, modes or some such thing [Aristotle]
Only if two things are identical do they have the same attributes [Aristotle]