Essentialism in Aristotle

Review of Metaphysics 31 (3):387-405 (1978)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Quine, in an influential passage, characterizes a certain kind of metaphysical view as "Aristotelian essentialism." Recent work on Aristotle suggests that he may not have been an essentialist in Quine's sense. This paper examines the question whether, and to what extent, Aristotle is committed to the kind of essentialism Quine discusses. Various promising areas of Aristotle's thought (alteration vs. coming-to-be and passing-away, kath' hauto predication) are examined and found wanting as sources of essentialism. Instead, Aristotle is found to be committed to essentialism in the hylomorphic conception of substance featured in the late books of the Metaphysics, despite the superficially anti-essentialistic appearance of the conception of matter as the ultimate subject of predication. Essentialism is part and parcel of Aristotle's conception of substances as the basic individuals.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

What's Wrong with the New Biological Essentialism.Marc Ereshefsky - 2010 - Philosophy of Science 77 (5):674-685.
What Is Gender Essentialism?Charlotte Witt - 2011 - In Feminist Metaphysics. Springer Verlag. pp. 11--25.
Substances.S. Marc Cohen - 2009 - In Georgios Anagnostopoulos (ed.), A Companion to Aristotle. Oxford, UK: Blackwell-Wiley. pp. 197–212.
Essences and natural kinds.Alexander Bird - 2009 - In Robin Le Poidevin (ed.), The Routledge Companion to Metaphysics. Routledge. pp. 497--506.
From Aristotle to Marx.Chris Sciabarra - 1990 - Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society 4 (1-2):61-73.
Evolutionary essentialism.Denis Walsh - 2006 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 57 (2):425-448.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-08-26

Downloads
215 (#85,107)

6 months
13 (#117,903)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

S. Marc Cohen
University of Washington

Citations of this work

Essential vs. Accidental Properties.Teresa Robertson & Philip Atkins - 2013 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Greek Ontology and the 'Is' of Truth.Mohan Matthen - 1983 - Phronesis 28 (2):113 - 135.
Subjacente e Forma na Teoria Aristotélica da Ousia.Lucas Angioni - 2003 - Cadernos de História E Filosofia da Ciéncia 13 (2):245-275.
Accidental sameness in Aristotle.Frank A. Lewis - 1982 - Philosophical Studies 42 (1):1 - 36.
Essence and Cause: Making Something Be What It Is.Riin Sirkel - 2018 - Discipline Filosofiche 28 (1):89-112.

View all 15 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references