Aristotle on essence and explanation

Philosophical Studies 31 (6):361 - 383 (1977)
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Abstract

Three claims about essential properties are frequently advanced in recent discussions: (1) a property belongs essentially to a thing only if that thing would cease to exist without that property, (2) an essential property is explanatory, And (3) an essential property is such that it must belong to everything to which it belongs. I argue that the "only if" in (1) cannot be changed to "if and only if" and (1) needs to be supplemented by (2), And that (2) is an indispensable feature of aristotle's view of essential properties and that it casts doubt on (3), Although (2) is usually assumed to provide a reason for (3)

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Citations of this work

Aristóteles, Física I-II.Lucas Angioni - 2009 - Editora da Unicamp.
Comprehension, Demonstration, and Accuracy in Aristotle.Breno Zuppolini - 2020 - Journal of the History of Philosophy 58 (1):29-48.
A Noção Aristotélica de Matéria.Lucas Angioni - 2007 - Cadernos de História E Filosofia da Ciéncia 17 (1):47-90.

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References found in this work

Essentialism and quantified modal logic.Terence Parsons - 1969 - Philosophical Review 78 (1):35-52.
Rationality and believing the impossible.Ruth Barcan Marcus - 1983 - Journal of Philosophy 80 (6):321-338.
The persistence of aristotelian matter.Alan Code - 1976 - Philosophical Studies 29 (6):357 - 367.
Les États du Texte de Plotin. [REVIEW]Ralph Marcus - 1939 - Journal of Philosophy 36 (8):223-224.

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