Aristotle's Theory of Predication (Philosophia Antiqua)

362 Pages·2000·18.5 MB·English

by  Allan T. Bäck

ARISTOTLE'S THEORY OF PREDICATION
PHILO S Ο PHI A ANTIQUA
A SERIES OF STUDIES
ON ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
FOUNDED BY J. H. WASZINK| AND W.J. VERDENIUSf
EDITED BY
J. MANSFELD, D.T. RUNIA
J.C.M. VAN WINDEN
VOLUME LXXXIV
ALLAN T. BÄCK
ARISTOTLE'S THEORY OF PREDICATION
'68^
ARISTOTLE'S THEORY
OF PREDICATION
BY
ALLAN T. BÄCK
/6 8^'
BRILL
LEIDEN · BOSTON · KÖLN
2000
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publicarion Data
Bäck, Allen.
Aristode's theory of predication / by Allan T. Bäck,
ρ cm.—(Philosophia antiqua, ISSN 0079-1687; v. 84)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 9004117199 (alk. paper)
1. Aristode. 2. Predicate (Logic) I. Tide: Theory of predication.
Π. Tide. ΙΠ. Series.
B491.P73 B33 2000
160'.92—dc20 00-029768
CIP
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufiiahme
Bäck, Allan:
Aristode's theory of predication / by Allan T. Bäck. - Leiden ; Boston
; Köln : Brill, 2000
(Philosophia antiqua ; Vol. 84)
ISBN 90-04-11719-9
ISSN 0079-1687
ISBN 90 04 11719 9
© Copyright 2000 by Koninkltjke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Preface xi
Notation and Conventions xiv
Introduction 1
Statement of the Aspect Theory of Predication 2
Modern Qualms 4
Chapter One The Linguistic Evidence 11
The Relevance of Ordinary Greek Usage 12
The Grammar of Predication 15
The Aspect Theory in Arabic 19
The Meaning of'Be' in Greek 22
The Aspect Theory in Greek 29
Chapter Two Aristotle's Precursors 31
Parmenides: Is or Is Not 31
Plato: Not Being Is 37
Types of Predication in the Sophist 40
Plato on the Structure of a Statement 48
Physics 1 52
Summary 58
Chapter Three Aristotle on the Uses of 'Be' in Greek 59
Being is Said in Many Ways 59
Aristotle's Lexicon for Being 62
Being Per Accidens 65
Being Per Se 70
An Aporetic Interlude 74
The Alethic Sense 82
The Problematic Sense 84
The Predicates of Matter 87
Conclusions 96
Chapter Four The Statement 98
The Nature of a Statement 100
The Bipartite Analysis 102
The Fundamental Form of Statements 106
The Tripartite Analysis 114
The Relation Between the Bipartite and the Tripartite Analyses 116
The'Υπάρχει Construction 124
Conclusions 130
Chapter Five The Categories as Predicates 132
The Ten Categories 133
The Categories as Signs of Beings 137
The Ontological Square 143
Differentiae and Propria 151
Existence and Essence 158
Essence and Definition 162
Chapter Six Type of Predication 166
Accidental and Essential Predication 166
Singular and Universal Predication 172
Comparison with Modern Logic 178
Unnatural Predication 185
Complex Predication 195
Aspects of Aspects 197
Chapter Seven Negations 199
Indefinite Names and Verbs 200
Denials 207
Simple Denials 209
Metathetic Denials 218
Squares of Opposition 223
Conclusions 226
Chapter Eight Inference 228
The Antepredicamental Rule 228
Subalternation 239
Conversion 245
The Syllogism 252
The Fallacy of Accident 256
The Fallacy of Secundum Quid et Simpliciter 260
Conclusions 263
Chapter Nine Consequences 264
The Aspect Theory 264
The Aspect Theory as an Interpretation of Aristotle 265
A Single Science of'Is' 269
Later Developments 271
Brentano 307
Evaluation of the Aspect Theory 310
The Recurrence of the Aspect Theory 316
Bibliography 321
Index 339

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Of course, I have benefited from all those who have written and discussed
predication. I thank the following people for particular comments: Patricia
Curd, L. M. De Rijk, Daniel Graham, Michael Ferejohn, Michael Frede,
Mushin Mahdi, Parviz Morewedge, A. P. D. Mourelatos, May Sim, Anne
and Owen Smith, Robin Smith, Hermann Weidemann. I also gratefully
acknowledge the receipt of a Forschungspreis from the Humboldt Stiftung
and the kind support of Klaus Jacobi and Ignacio Angelelli.
Special thanks to Barbara Kegerreis for her library work and to Gail
Hirsch and Gera van Bedaf for putting up with me and the manuscript.