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Single Idea 9110

[filed under theme 7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / g. Particular being ]

Full Idea

The words 'thing' and 'to be' (esse) signify one and the same thing, but the one in the manner of a noun and the other in the manner of a verb.

Gist of Idea

The words 'thing' and 'to be' assert the same idea, as a noun and as a verb

Source

William of Ockham (Summa totius logicae [1323], III,II,c,xxvii)

Book Ref

Ockham,William of: 'Ockham's Philosophical Writings', ed/tr. Boehner,P [Hackett 1990], p.93


A Reaction

Well said - as you would expect from a thoroughgoing nominalist. I would have thought that this was the last word on the subject of Being, thus rendering any need for me to read Heidegger quite superfluous. Or am I missing something?


The 9 ideas from 'Summa totius logicae'

Ockham had an early axiomatic account of truth [William of Ockham, by Halbach]
Universals are single things, and only universal in what they signify [William of Ockham]
Some concepts for propositions exist only in the mind, and in no language [William of Ockham]
The word 'every' only signifies when added to a term such as 'man', referring to all men [William of Ockham]
Just as unity is not a property of a single thing, so numbers are not properties of many things [William of Ockham]
A proposition is true if its subject and predicate stand for the same thing [William of Ockham]
If essence and existence were two things, one could exist without the other, which is impossible [William of Ockham]
The words 'thing' and 'to be' assert the same idea, as a noun and as a verb [William of Ockham]
From an impossibility anything follows [William of Ockham]