Order in Multiplicity: Homonymy in the Philosophy of Aristotle (Oxford Aristotle Studies)

305 Pages·2003·3.03 MB·English

by  Christopher Shields

Order in Multiplicity
Oxford Aristotle Studies
General Editors
Julia Annas and Lindsay Judson
Order in Multiplicity
Homonymy in the Philosophy of Aristotle
Christopher Shields
CLARENDON PRESS · OXFORD
1999
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Shields,ChristopherJohn.
Orderinmultiplicity:homonymyinthephilosophyofAristotle/
byChristopherShields.
(OxfordAristotlestudies)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
1.Aristotle—Contributionsinmethodology.2. Methodology—
History.I.Title.II.Series.
B491.M45S551998185—dc2198–27571
ISBN0–19–823715–4 (hbk.)
ISBN0–19–925307–2 (pbk.)
To K
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Acknowledgements
Ibeganpreliminaryresearchfor thisbookwhileanAlexander vonHumboldt-StiftungResearchFellow, affiliated with
the Seminar für Klassische Philologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz. I thank the AvH Foundation for its
generous support, and my hosts in Mainz, Wolfgang Bernard and Arbogast Schmitt, for their warm intellectual and
personal hospitality. My research there resulted in an article published in Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie in 1993,
someportionsofwhichprovideabasisfor thediscussionsofChapter5. IthanktheeditorsofAGPforpermissionto
use material derived from that article.I also thank Peter Momtchiloff at Oxford University Press for his support and
excellent advice, together with Angela Blackburn and her skilled staff at Invisible Ink for their highly professional
assistance in preparing the typescript for publication.
I composed most of the first draft of this book in 1992–3, in Oxford, while a Visiting Fellow of Corpus Christi
College. The President and Fellows of that college provided an exceptional environment for sustained research and
productiveexchange. I thank themall, but most especiallyChristopherTaylor, EwenBowie, and Ian Bostridge. Some
of my first formed thoughts on these matters were presented that same year to a seminar led by David Charles and
StephenEversonatBalliol.TheiracuteobjectionspertainingespeciallytoAristotle'sconceptionofsignificationhelped
me to filter out some unhelpful matter from the early chapters.
Similar thanks are due to twosets of graduate students, oneat theUniversityof Colorado at Boulder and theother at
Stanford University, who were kind enough to discuss the main themes of this book in two related seminars. I thank
them especially for insisting that Aristotle's views be made accessible to scrutiny. I also thank individually William
Simpson, Ellen Wagner, Richard Geenen, Richard Cameron, Michael Peirce, and Paul Studtmann, all students from
whom I have learnt more than I taught.
Because I have had the good fortune to present the materials of individual chapters to audiences at a host of leading
institutions and learned societies, I have enjoyedthe judicious criticisms of a now uncountable number of auditors. I
can still discern the influence of: Robert Bolton, Myles Burnyeat, Daniel Devereaux, Gail Fine, Güven Güzeldere,
Norman Kretzmann, Frank Lewis, Gareth Matthews, and Fred Miller.
Through less formal settings, I have enjoyed stimulating exchanges on these matters with: James Anderson, Gabriela
Carone, John Fisher, David Horner,
viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Dale Jamieson, Robert Kibbee, ScottMacDonald, PhillipMitsis, Wes Morriston, James Nickel, Graham Oddie, Keith
Quillen, Rex Welshon, and Edward Zalta. Each of them has given me something significant.
For penetrating criticisms of the entire penultimate draft, I express my deep gratitude to Lindsay Judson. His
comments, both textually informed and philosophically adroit, delivered me from more errors than I care to recall.
I also welcome the opportunity to thank John Ackrill. Some years ago he very kindly—and very patient-
ly—demonstrated to me howone ought to read a text of Aristotle. He has also demonstrated to everyonein his clear
and accuratewritingshowa sympatheticallycritical engagementwithan ancientauthorcanproducenewand arresting
formsofphilosophicalinsight.Ihaveneverfailedtolearnsomethingofvaluefromreadinghiswork;andIhavenever
been misled by looking to him as a model.
My deepest intellectual debts are largely unrecoverable to me. Terence Irwin first awakened my interest in many of
these issues, not least through his intricately challenging writings on homonymy and signification in Aristotle. More
proximately, he provided me detailed criticisms of a draft of this manuscript. These criticisms demonstrated
abundantly that I had not always met the challenges implicit in his work; and they focused my attention on several
consequential issues that had eluded me altogether. I thank him.
A differentsort ofdebtis stillmore irretrievabletome.I canat least,though, dedicatethisbook toK, whosegraceful
love I have cherished all of my adult life.
Contents
Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
PART I: HOMONYMY AS SUCH
1. The Varieties of Homonymy 9
1.1 Aristotle's Introduction of Homonymy 11
1.2 Discrete and Comprehensive Homonymy 14
1.3 Non-homonymous Multivocals 22
1.4 Discrete, Non-accidental Homonyms 29
1.5 Discrete, Non-accidental Homonymy and Functional Determination 31
1.6 Associated Homonymy 35
1.7 Seductive and Non-seductive Homonyms 39
1.8 Types of Homonymy: An Overview 40
1.9 Conclusions 41
2. The Promises and Problems of Homonymy 43
2.1 Critical Uses of Homonymy 44
2.2 Constructive Uses of Homonymy 47
2.3 Homonymy's First Problems: Polemical Contexts 49
2.4 Tests for Homonymy: Topics i. 15 50
2.5 Tests for Homonymy: Signification 54
2.6 Focal Meaning, Focal Connection, and Core-Dependence 57
2.7 Homonymy's Problems: An Illustration 62
2.8 Homonymy in Aristotle's Development 67
2.9 Homonymy's First Promise: Core-Dependence and Science 70
2.10 Homonymy's Second Promise: Order in Multiplicity 72
2.11 Conclusions 74
3. Homonymy and Signification 75
3.1 Non-univocity and Signification 75
3.2 Semantic Theses 77
3.3 Signification 79
3.4 Two Problems about Signification 83
3.5 Homonymy and Word Meaning: The Case Against 88
3.6 Better Known to Us/Better Known by Nature 93
3.7 Concepts and Properties 97
3.8 Conclusions: Forms of Signification, Forms of Meaning 101