more from this thinker     |     more from this text

Single Idea 13431

[filed under theme 9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 14. Knowledge of Essences ]

Full Idea

A space between three lines is the real as well as nominal essence of a Triangle; it being not only the abstract idea to which the name is annexed, but the very Essentia or Being of the thing itself, that foundation from which all its properties flow.

Gist of Idea

A space between three lines is both the nominal and real essence of a triangle, the source of its properties

Source

John Locke (Essay Conc Human Understanding (2nd Ed) [1694], 3.03.18)

Book Ref

Locke,John: 'Essay Concerning Human Understanding', ed/tr. Nidditch,P.H. [OUP 1979], p.418

A Reaction

Highly significant, coming from a famous doubter of essences. It seems to me that Locke would accept that we know have the essences of innumberable physical entities, which seemed impossible in his day.

Related Ideas

Idea 13432 The essence of a circle is the equality of its radii [Leibniz]

Idea 13073 To understand the properties we must know the essence, as with a circle [Spinoza]

The 19 ideas with the same theme [how we might know the essence of an object]:

12092 Aristotle claims that the individual is epistemologically prior to the universal [Aristotle, by Witt]
12090 Actual knowledge is of the individual, and potential knowledge of the universal [Aristotle, by Witt]
16742 We only know essences through non-essential features, esp. those closest to the essence [Suárez]
4869 Experience does not teach us any essences of things [Spinoza]
12525 The essence of a triangle is simple; presumably substance essences are similar [Locke]
13431 A space between three lines is both the nominal and real essence of a triangle, the source of its properties [Locke]
13423 The schools recognised that they don't really know essences, because they couldn't coin names for them [Locke]
12694 Essence is the distinct thinkability of anything [Leibniz]
15613 Real cognition grasps a thing from within itself, and is not satisfied with mere predicates [Hegel]
11966 If there are essential properties, how do you find out what they are? [Chisholm]
11182 If essences are objects with only essential properties, they are elusive in possible worlds [Marcus (Barcan)]
13971 Kripke claims that some properties, only knowable posteriori, are known a priori to be essential [Kripke, by Soames]
12100 An essence is the necessary properties, derived from an intuitive identity, in origin, type and material [Kripke, by Witt]
13954 The difficulty in essentialism is deciding the grounds for rating an attribute as essential [Cartwright,R]
16552 If we must know some entity to know an essence, we lack a faculty to do that [Lowe]
13922 Knowing an essence is just knowing what the thing is, not knowing some further thing [Lowe]
12248 How can we show that a universally possessed property is an essential property? [Mumford]
15679 Essentialism comes from the cognitive need to categorise [Gelman]
15698 We found no evidence that mothers teach essentialism to their children [Gelman]