Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Three Grades of Modal Involvement', 'The Vocation of Man' and 'Human Freedom and the Self'

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9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 9. Essence and Properties

10923	Aristotelian essentialism says a thing has some necessary and some non-necessary properties [Quine]
	Full Idea: What Aristotelian essentialism says is that you can have open sentences Fx and Gx, such that ∃x(nec Fx.Gx.¬nec Gx). For example, ∃x(nec(x>5). there are just x planets. ¬nec(there are just x planets)).
	From: Willard Quine (Three Grades of Modal Involvement [1953], p.176)
	A reaction: This is a denial of 'maximal essentialism', that all of a things properties might be essential. Quine is thus denying necessity, except under a description. He may be equivocating over the reference of 'there are just 9 planets'.