Full Idea
Is there any way of separating the qualities that bodies appear to have into two groups, one as small as possible and the other as large as possible, such that the smaller group can plausibly be used to explain the larger?
Gist of Idea
Can the qualities of a body be split into two groups, where the smaller explains the larger?
Source
Peter Alexander (Ideas, Qualities and Corpuscles [1985], 5.02)
Book Reference
Alexander,Peter: 'Ideas, Qualities and Corpuscles' [CUP 1985], p.123
A Reaction
Alexander implies that this is a question Locke asked himself. This is pretty close to what I take to be the main question for essentialism, though I am cautious about couching it in terms of groups of qualities. I think this was Aristotle's question.