OnBeing&EssenceOutline JacobElfrink April2012 PrologueModeofProcedure

1. Beingandessencearewhatareconceivedbythefirstactoftheunderstanding(andaretreatedinthe CategoriespartoftheOrganon) Soweshouldinvestigatewhattheymeanandhowtheycanbesaidinrelationto genus/species/difference,orelsewewon'tknowwhatwe'retalkingabout. 2. Wemovefromknowledgeof... composedthingstoknowledgeofsimplethings posteriorthingstopriorthings(effectstocause) Thereforewemovefromknowledgeofbeingtoknowledgeofessence

Chapter1HowEssenceisrelatedtoBeing
1. Beingpersecanbesaid... asintheCategories byaffirmativeproposition(e.g.heisblind) 2. Essenceistakenfromthe1stsenseofbeing,whichassuchwillsignifysomethingcommontoall10 Categories 3. Thepropergenus/speciessignifieswhatathingis: essence(through/in) whatness(makeittobewhatitis) nature(naturethroughspecificoperation) form(determination) EnshabetesseperessentiaetinessentiaBeinghasexistencethroughandinessence 4. Essenceismostproperlyinsubstance,secondarilyinaccidentsofsubstances. Essenceismostproperlyinsimplesubstances,sincetheyhavebeingmostproperly Essenceismoreknownincomposedsubstances

Chapter2WhatEssenceisNOT
1. Matterisnotessence,becauseitisnotknowableassuch Formisnotessence,becausetheessenceofthingsincludesthematter Thereforeessencecomprehendsmatterandform 2. Essenceisnotarelationbetweenmatterandform,forthenitwouldbeaccidental Essenceisnot[anaddition]overandabovematter/form,forthenitwouldbeaccidental 3. Essenceofcomposedthingsistobematterandform.Boethius,Avicenna,Averroesallagree. Essenceisthataccordingtowhichathingexists Compositethingsexistaccordingtoform/matter 4. Objection:itmightseemthatessencesareparticularsincematteristheprincipleofindividuation. Reply:Onlysignatematteristheprincipleofindividuation,andthisgoesinthedefinitionofthe individual.Nonsignatemattergoesinthedefinitionofthespecies. 5. Speciesandparticulardifferbysignateandnonsignatematter.Speciescontainsindividualinsofaras nonsignatematterispotentialtodetermination. 6. Bodycanbesaidasagenusorasapartof[this]animal.

cumprecisioneWhennofurtherperfectioncanfollowfromthatform: Manisabeastsignifiesmanindeterminately Thatmanisabeastsignifiesthatmandeterminatelytogenusbeast Beastisinmansiginfiesbeastcumprecisioneasbeingapartfromwhichnofurtherperfection maycome 7. Bodycanalsobeinthegenusofanimal.Animalisimplicitlycontainedintheformofbodyinsofarasitis itsgenus. 8. Animalisinthiswaythegenusofman.Ifanimalwerebeingsaidcumprecisione,thenitwouldhavetobe usedasadeterminedpart(i.e.withoutthepotencyofthegenus) 9. Genusstandsasmattertothewholething,sinceitispotentialtothethingbyindetermination. Differencedelineatesspecies(asform)fromtheotherformspotentialinthegenus Genusisneitherinnorpreidcatedofdifference. Speciesordefinitionsignifiesbothdeterminatematter(genus)anddeterminateform(difference) 10. Genus~matter;difference~form;species~composite Manisrationalanimalbutnotfromrationalandanimalheisfromsoulandbody.Thetwoarealikein thatthethingconstitutedisnoteitheroftheconstituents. Differenceandgenusareuniversalideas,soulandbodyarethings.Manisnotmadeofanimaland rationallikeheismadeofsoulandbody. 11. Theessencesofspecieswiththesamegenusarenotoneinessencewithrespecttotheircommongenus. E.g.bodyinmanandbodyinrockarenotoneinnumbertheyarenotsignifyingidenticalconcepts.

12.

inrespecttoindeterminacy.Wedonotpredicatetheessencesaidwithprecision (cumprecisione)oftheindividual.Socratesisnothumanity.

species genus = individual species

13. Theindividualisdesignatedfromthespeciesbysignatematter. Humanitysignifiestheformofthewhole(i.e.auniversaldesignationofmatterandform) 14. Thusmansignifiestheessenceofmanbyimplicitlycontaininghismatter.Humanitysignifiestheessence asapart,namelywithprecision.

Chapter3
1. Wecannotpredicateformsunderthemodeofapart Norcanwepositseparate[Platonic]Forms 2. Essenceassuchdoesnotincludeaccidentals,buttheaccidentalsarewhatdifferentiatemanythingssame inessence 3. Objection: Socratesisaman Manisaspecies ThereforeSocratesisaspecies Reply: Equivocationonmiddleterm.Essenceabsolutelysaid(inmajorpremise)doesnotincludethenotionof universality,asitdoesintheminorpremise. 4. Neithercancommonnessnorunity(genus/species)beinmantakenabsolutely(notuniversally).These arefoundinthenotionasitexistsintheunderstanding(i.e.universally) 5. Thisisbecausetheuniversalinthemindisabstractedfromallthingsindividuating

6. ManusedabsolutelyispredicatedofSocrates. Speciesispredicatedofmanuseduniversally,asanaccidentconsequentontheway manexistsinthe understanding 7. Tobepredicatedisinthenotionofgenusassuch. 1stintention:mind'srelationtoessence 2ndintention:mind'srelationsofabstractionstoeachother. Logicisconcernedwith2ndintentions.

8. Summary Chapter4
1. Howisessenceinseparatedsubstances? 2. Norisitjustbodilymatterthatimpedesintelligibility,fortobebodilyisaformandassuchintelligible.It istheindeterminacywhichistheprincipleofunintelligibility.Thusinintelligencesthereisonly compositionofessenceandexistence. 3. Acausecanexistwithouttheeffect,butnotconversely.Thustheformcanexistwithoutthematter,since itgivesexistencetothematter.Formsthatmustexistinmatterdosobecausetheyaredistancefromthe highestforms(andwedoseeagradationofimmaterialityinthings) 4. Theessenceof.. acomposedsubstanceencompassesformandmatter asimplesubstanceencompassesformonly ..sinceinsimplesubstancesnothingelse.. buttheformcanbelongtothewhole canreceivetheformtodifferentiateindividuals Thereforethereisonlyoneindividualtoaspecies 5. Simplesubstancesarenotentirelysimple,becausethereisstillacompositionwithexistence 6. Essencecannotbethesameasexistenceinthingsthatarenottheirownexistence. Butthosethingsmustreducebacktosomethingwhoseessenceisitsexistence,astheaccidentalmust reducetotheperse 7. SeparatedintelligencesarepotentialinsofarastheyreceivetheirbeingfromGod.Thustheyare composedofesseandessentia 8. Wedifferentiatebetweentheseparatedintelligencesbasedontheirgradeofcomprehensiontheirbeing abletoknowmorethingsbyproximitytotheFirstCause

9. Thereisagradationinintelligencesinwhichmenarelowest(closesttomaterialityandnonintelligence)
Thereisagradationinmaterialthingsinwhichmenarehighest

Chapter5
1. Divisionofsubstanceaccordingtotheiressence: Essence=Being;Essence=form;essence=form+matter Godisnotinagenusbecausebeinginagenusimpliesessentia+esse 2. Objection:ifGodispureexistence,thenheistheformalexistenceofallthings Reply:God'sexistencecanhavenoaddition 3. Objection:ThenitseemsGoddoesnothavethoseformalperfections

Reply:Godhasthemsimplyandmoreexcellentlyastheirprinciplecause 4. Separatedintelligencesareboundedfromabove,butunboundedfrombelow(sincetheyarenot constrictedbyanymatter) Thesoulisindividuatedbythebody,butoncethebodyceasesthesoulcanstillbedifferentiatedbybeing auniqueform 5. Incomposedthingswecansignifyessentialdifferencewithaccidentaldifferencethrough genus/species/difference.Inimmaterialsubstanceswecanneitherknownorsignifyessentialdifference 6. Incomposedthingsgenusismaterial,speciesformal,andsotheformistheprincipleofdifference.In simplethingsthedifferencemustcomefromthewhole. 7. Simplesubstancestakegenusfromimmateriality,differencefromgreaterlevelofperfection 8. Composedthingsarefiniteaboveandbelowsincetheirexistenceisreceivedintosignatematter

Chapter6
1. Accidentshaveessenceincompletelyjustastheyhavedefinitionsincompletely,sincetheyaredefined withreferencetoanother. 2. Subjectandaccidentdonotconstitutesomethingoneperse(likeformandmatter)becausesubjectdoes notdependonaccident,whileaccidentdoesdependonsubjectforexistence 3. Sincethatwhichisthehighestinthegenusisthecauseofthelesser,sosubstanceismorebeingand causesthebeingofaccidents Someaccidentsareformal,somematerial.Someformalaccidentscanbewithoutmatter,butallmaterial thingsnecessitateform 4. Someaccidentsarespecific(likegendertoanimals)andsomearegeneric(likecolortoanimals) 5. Individuationisfrommaterialaccidents,whileformalaccidentsarepropertothegenusorspecies 6. Accidentscanalsobeseparableorinseparable(e.g.heatfromfire) 7. Species/genusneverreferstoanaccident+subject,butform+matter,sinceform+matterisinthe categoryofsubstancebyreduction. 8. Inproperaccidentsthedifferenceisthesubject(e.g.curvatureofthenose) Takenconcretelythesubjectisthedifference(e.g.snubbedisacurvednose) Sometimeswejustdifferentiateaccidentsbytheireffects

9. Summary Finisest.