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Single Idea 12267

[filed under theme 7. Existence / E. Categories / 3. Proposed Categories ]

Full Idea

The four main types of predicates fall into ten categories: essence, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, position, state, activity, passivity.

Gist of Idea

There are ten categories: essence, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, position, state, activity, passivity

Source

Aristotle (Topics [c.331 BCE], 103b20)

Book Ref

Aristotle: 'Posterior Analytics and Topica', ed/tr. Tredennick,H/Forster,ES [Harvard 1960], p.293


A Reaction

These are the standard ten categories of Aristotle. He is notable for the divisions not being sharp, and ten being a rough total. He is well aware of the limits of precision in such matters.


The 34 ideas from 'Topics'

Reasoning is when some results follow necessarily from certain claims [Aristotle]
Dialectic starts from generally accepted opinions [Aristotle]
Differentia are generic, and belong with genus [Aristotle]
An 'idion' belongs uniquely to a thing, but is not part of its essence [Aristotle]
'Genus' is part of the essence shared among several things [Aristotle]
An 'accident' is something which may possibly either belong or not belong to a thing [Aristotle]
All water is the same, because of a certain similarity [Aristotle]
'Same' is mainly for names or definitions, but also for propria, and for accidents [Aristotle]
There are ten categories: essence, quantity, quality, relation, place, time, position, state, activity, passivity [Aristotle]
Induction is the progress from particulars to universals [Aristotle]
We describe the essence of a particular thing by means of its differentiae [Aristotle]
Unit is the starting point of number [Aristotle]
Begin examination with basics, and subdivide till you can go no further [Aristotle]
We value friendship just for its own sake [Aristotle]
Justice and self-control are better than courage, because they are always useful [Aristotle]
Friendship is preferable to money, since its excess is preferable [Aristotle]
'Being' and 'oneness' are predicated of everything which exists [Aristotle]
The differentia indicate the qualities, but not the essence [Aristotle]
Genus gives the essence better than the differentiae do [Aristotle]
Man is intrinsically a civilized animal [Aristotle]
An individual property has to exist (in past, present or future) [Aristotle]
In definitions the first term to be assigned ought to be the genus [Aristotle]
Everything that is has one single essence [Aristotle]
Puzzles arise when reasoning seems equal on both sides [Aristotle]
The definition is peculiar to one thing, not common to many [Aristotle]
In the case of a house the parts can exist without the whole, so parts are not the whole [Aristotle]
If two things are the same, they must have the same source and origin [Aristotle]
Two identical things have the same accidents, they are the same; if the accidents differ, they're different [Aristotle]
Numerical sameness and generic sameness are not the same [Aristotle]
The genera and the differentiae are part of the essence [Aristotle]
Destruction is dissolution of essence [Aristotle]
There can't be one definition of two things, or two definitions of the same thing [Aristotle]
Definitions are easily destroyed, since they can contain very many assertions [Aristotle]
We say 'so in cases of this kind', but how do you decide what is 'of this kind'? [Aristotle]