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Class Notes

08FEB07

Home Metaphysics Book VII

"A Preliminary Sketch of Z (zeta)"

Ontology - comes from the Greek word (on): the account of Being; Aristotle rejects certain questions (chapter 1); The notion of Being is 'floppy'--people & chairs in this room, with colors & shapes... Where does 'is' fit into Aristotle's ontology; A does not use "is", as there isn't a clear criteria for it in Greek.

A speaks on a 'science of being'. ("Knowledge of Being"; Book IV) No axiomatic view of ontology; but he approaches it dialectically, of views that are not his own. (Greek Academy for 20 years, combatting ideas of other members) 'Rough and Ready'

Although we can talk about all sorts of different things, they do not form into a single kind of being; there is no single kind; some new principle/organization is needed (Book IV & VII); Owen: classical philosopher that greatly influenced Dr. Dancy during his dissertation;--focal meaning - (bears mostly on Book IV, ch. 1-3) (Aristotle denies that there is a single notion of being; but not a notion of sheer ambiguity... such as 'pitcher'... an athlete and also a drinking utility)

           healthy diet ----------diet that conduces to---\

Healty: healthy complexion------------complexion that indicates---------------Health

           healthy body-----------a body that has--------/

These things all point to a single thing; a color is (exists)...a quality of a height is... a quantity of All these things point to ... Substance

A substance is # .(full stop). The focus of being (ousia).

chapter 4: Sometimes the expression of "ousia" is translated as "essence"; it occurs in 2 different syntactic environments: a rutebaga is a subtance #; the substance of a rutebaga is to be a vegetable.

The essence of Socrates: (in Greek) the what it is for Socrates to be... (The what it is for something to be, to exist)

(1) Socrates is a man.
(2) Socrates is pale/5'6"/Greek/... .
(3^) Socrates is. (this is still elliptical for the context-free question), provokes the question, "What is Socrates"? Socrates is a man. (Aristotle thinks like an authority on biology--a biologist.) If he were not a human being, then he could not/would not exist.

^^X is essentially f =df if X were not f, then x would not be (exist). The essence of X =df {F: x is essentially f}

Othello reference. Notion of essentialism: X is essentially a,b,c; Y is essentially d,e,f. (Cannot draw contrarieties beyond the species level, according to Aristotle.) A woman cannot be separated from man in essence.

Does Socrates wear a hat? He does... . (... = wear a hat) Is Socrates really pale? He is... . (... = pale)

Don't forget EWAF (primary substances); an exposition on the subject-criterion; which things are the substances: the ultimate subjects; founds the original views of the Categories--immediate attack in Book VII (metaphysics); ch 2: A gives his inventories of substances (possible answers as to which things are the substances, various answers, A's original view also); Platonism: individuals are not the primary substances, rather they are the Forms;