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Single Idea 12258

[filed under theme 9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 9. Essence and Properties ]

Full Idea

A substance is constituted by its essence, and properties are a species of accident. No property of a thing is part of a thing's essence, though properties flow from the essence.

Gist of Idea

Properties are not part of an essence, but they flow from it

Source

David S. Oderberg (Real Essentialism [2007], 7.2)

Book Ref

Oderberg,David S.: 'Real Essentialism' [Routledge 2009], p.156

A Reaction

I'm not sure I understand this. How can you know of something which has no properties? I'm wondering if the whole notion of a 'property' should be eliminated from good metaphysics.

The 22 ideas from David S. Oderberg

12236 Leibniz's Law is an essentialist truth [Oderberg]
12234 Realism about possible worlds is circular, since it needs a criterion of 'possible' [Oderberg]
12235 Necessity of identity seems trivial, because it leaves out the real essence [Oderberg]
12237 Rigid designation has at least three essentialist presuppositions [Oderberg]
12238 The Aristotelian view is that numbers depend on (and are abstracted from) other things [Oderberg]
12240 Essentialism is the main account of the unity of objects [Oderberg]
12239 The real essentialist is not merely a scientist [Oderberg]
12243 The reductionism found in scientific essentialism is mistaken [Oderberg]
12242 Definition distinguishes one kind from another, and individuation picks out members of the kind [Oderberg]
12241 Essences are real, about being, knowable, definable and classifiable [Oderberg, by PG]
12244 Nominalism is consistent with individual but not with universal essences [Oderberg]
12245 Essence is the source of a thing's characteristic behaviour [Oderberg]
12246 What makes Parmenidean reality a One rather than a Many? [Oderberg]
12247 Essence is not explanatory but constitutive [Oderberg]
12249 'Animal' is a genus and 'rational' is a specific difference [Oderberg]
12250 Bodies have act and potency, the latter explaining new kinds of existence [Oderberg]
12252 Empiricists gave up 'substance', as unknowable substratum, or reducible to a bundle [Oderberg]
12253 If tropes are in space and time, in what sense are they abstract? [Oderberg]
12254 Being is substantial/accidental, complete/incomplete, necessary/contingent, possible, relative, intrinsic.. [Oderberg]
12256 We need to distinguish the essential from the non-essential powers [Oderberg]
12257 Could we replace essence with collections of powers? [Oderberg]
12258 Properties are not part of an essence, but they flow from it [Oderberg]