Combining Texts

All the ideas for '27: Book of Daniel', 'Aristotle and the Metaphysics' and 'Letters to Regius'

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7 ideas

2. Reason / D. Definition / 1. Definitions

11257	The Pythagoreans were the first to offer definitions [Politis, by Politis]
	Full Idea: Aristotle praises the Pythagoreans for being the first to offer definitions.
	From: report of Vassilis Politis (Aristotle and the Metaphysics [2004]) by Vassilis Politis - Aristotle and the Metaphysics 2.4
	A reaction: This sounds like a hugely important step in the development of Greek philosophy which is hardly ever mentioned.

3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 4. Uses of Truth

11235	'True of' is applicable to things, while 'true' is applicable to words [Politis]
	Full Idea: It is crucial not to confuse 'true' with 'true of'. 'True of' is applicable to things, while 'true' is applicable to words.
	From: Vassilis Politis (Aristotle and the Metaphysics [2004], 1.4)
	A reaction: A beautifully simple distinction which had never occurred to me, and which (being a thoroughgoing realist) I really like.

7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / e. Being and nothing

11277	Maybe 'What is being? is confusing because we can't ask what non-being is like [Politis]
	Full Idea: We may be unfamiliar with the question 'What is being?' because there appear to be no contrastive questions of the form: how do beings differ from things that are not beings?
	From: Vassilis Politis (Aristotle and the Metaphysics [2004], 4.1)
	A reaction: We can, of course, contrast actual beings with possible beings, or imaginary beings, or even logically impossible beings, but in those cases 'being' strikes me as an entirely inappropriate word.

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 7. Essence and Necessity / b. Essence not necessities

11248	Necessary truths can be two-way relational, where essential truths are one-way or intrinsic [Politis]
	Full Idea: An essence is true in virtue of what the thing is in itself, but a necessary truth may be relational, as the consequence of the relation between two things and their essence. The necessary relation may be two-way, but the essential relation one-way.
	From: Vassilis Politis (Aristotle and the Metaphysics [2004], 2.3)
	A reaction: He is writing about Aristotle, but has in mind Kit Fine 1994 (qv). Politis cites Plato's answer to the Euthyphro Question as a good example. The necessity comes from the intrinsic nature of goodness/piety, not from the desire of the gods.

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 15. Against Essentialism

12251	Substantial forms are not understood, and explain nothing [Descartes]
	Full Idea: Clearly no explanation can be given by these substantial forms for any natural action, since their defenders admit that they are occult and that they do not understand them themselves, ...so they explain nothing.
	From: René Descartes (Letters to Regius [1642], 1642.01), quoted by David S. Oderberg - Real Essentialism 267 n5
	A reaction: [Oderberg gives refs for attack by Locke and Hume, p.66] Descartes' target is Aristotle's hylomorphism. The problem seems to be understanding what Aristotle meant, which is much more than mere 'shape'. More like 'controlling principle'.

29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 4. Christianity / c. Angels

16772	An angelic mind would not experience pain, even when connected to a human body [Descartes, by Pasnau]
	Full Idea: Descartes points out that an angelic mind, even if causally connected to a human body, would not experience the same sort of bodily sensations; it would, instead, simply observe flesh being torn, like a piece of paper.
	From: report of René Descartes (Letters to Regius [1642], III:493) by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 25.6
	A reaction: Does that mean that the angel could not have the experience even if it wanted to have it. So they can't pick up a cup either? So they can't make themselves known to us, even if they are desperate to? So the Annunciation never happened?

29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / a. Immortality

7482	Resurrection developed in Judaism as a response to martyrdoms, in about 160 BCE [Anon (Dan), by Watson]
	Full Idea: The idea of resurrection in Judaism seems to have first developed around 160 BCE, during the time of religious martyrdom, and as a response to it (the martyrs were surely not dying forever?). It is first mentioned in the book of Daniel.
	From: report of Anon (Dan) (27: Book of Daniel [c.165 BCE], Ch.7) by Peter Watson - Ideas
	A reaction: Idea 7473 suggests that Zoroaster beat them to it by 800 years.