more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
An essential part of an essential part is an essential part of the whole.
Gist of Idea
An essential part of an essential part is an essential part of the whole
Source
Peter Simons (Parts [1987], 7.4)
Book Ref
Simons,Peter: 'Parts: a Study in Ontology' [OUP 1987], p.271
A Reaction
Sounds beyond dispute, but worth pondering. It seems to be only type-parts, not token-parts, which are essential. Simons is thinking of identity rather than function, but he rejects Chisholm's idea that all parts are essential. So which ones are?
16792 | If parts change, the whole changes [William of Ockham] |
12884 | The same whole ceases to exist if a part is lost [Leibniz] |
12781 | A composite substance is a mere aggregate if its essence is just its parts [Leibniz] |
12139 | Mereological essentialism says that every part that ensures the existence is essential [Brody] |
8443 | Mereological essentialism says an entity must have exactly those parts [Sosa] |
14757 | Mereological essentialism says an object's parts are necessary for its existence [Sider] |
12874 | An essential part of an essential part is an essential part of the whole [Simons] |