Full Idea
I am told that I can ask three sorts of questions - whether a thing is, what it is, and what sort it is.
Gist of Idea
Three main questions seem to be whether a thing is, what it is, and what sort it is
Source
Augustine (Confessions [c.398], X.10)
A Reaction
This seems to be a very Aristotelian approach. I am pleased to see that what it is and what sort it is are not conflated. The first one must be its individual essence, and the second its generic essence.
Book Reference
Augustine: 'Confessions', ed/tr. Pine-Coffin,R.S. [Penguin 1961], p.217