Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Mahaprajnaparamitashastra', 'Amphitheatrum' and 'works'

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4 ideas

9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 5. Essence as Kind

13074	Only natural kinds and their members have real essences [Suárez, by Cover/O'Leary-Hawthorne]
	Full Idea: On Suarez's account, only natural kinds and their members have real essences.
	From: report of Francisco Suárez (works [1588]) by Cover,J/O'Leary-Hawthorne,J - Substance and Individuation in Leibniz 1.3.1 n21
	A reaction: Interesting. Rather than say that everything is a member of some kind, we leave quirky individuals out, with no essence at all. What is the status of the very first exemplar of a given kind?

23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / a. Virtues

7903	The six perfections are giving, morality, patience, vigour, meditation, and wisdom [Nagarjuna]
	Full Idea: The six perfections are of giving, morality, patience, vigour, meditation, and wisdom.
	From: Nagarjuna (Mahaprajnaparamitashastra [c.120], 88)
	A reaction: What is 'morality', if giving is not part of it? I like patience and vigour being two of the virtues, which immediately implies an Aristotelian mean (which is always what is 'appropriate').

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / b. Prime matter

16591	Prime matter is nothing but its parts [Vanini]
	Full Idea: The whole of prime matter, considered as prime matter, is nothing other than its parts.
	From: Julio Cesare Vanini (Amphitheatrum [1615], Ex 5:p.28), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 03.2
	A reaction: This is a late scholastic writer rejecting the traditional (and obscure) prime matter with the new corpuscularian approach. It signals the end of the Greek concept of matter.

26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 4. Naturalised causation

7563	The old 'influx' view of causation says it is a flow of accidental properties from A to B [Suárez, by Jolley]
	Full Idea: The 'influx' model of causation says that causes involve a process of contagion, as it were; when the kettle boils, the gas infects the water inside the kettle with its own 'individual accident' of heat, which literally flows from one to the other.
	From: report of Francisco Suárez (works [1588]) by Nicholas Jolley - Leibniz Ch.2
	A reaction: This nicely captures the scholastic target of Hume's sceptical thinking on the subject. However, see Idea 2542, where the idea of influx has had a revival. It is hard to see how the water could change if it didn't 'catch' something from the gas.