Abstract
Nowadays, essentialism has obtained various senses and its extension reaches out over many branches of study who have some immediate connection with it. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Saul Kripke, Hilary Putnam and David Wiggins are the notable upholders of essentialism. The Essentialist movement which stemmed from the view that philosophy is a speculative study of Reality was temporarily suspended or stagnated by the spirited movement of the logical positivists like Moritz Schlick, Hans Reichenbach, Rudolf Carnap and A. J. Ayer. According to these philosophers, philosophy is simply an activity of analysis of the fundamental concepts of ordinary language or of science or of any other discipline. Such concept—analysis—philosophers are called anti-essentialist. Here, I shall concentrate on the views of Aristotle. I shall discuss the doctrine of essence, natural kinds, real essence in favour of essentialism and also discuss W. V. O. Quine’s view as an anti-essentialist trend. At last I shall try to examine whether and to what extent an attack of essences reflects back certain essentialist commitments, which is to see what reasonable theory of essences can be eked out from the entire exercise.
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Notes
Barnes (1984a).
Haslanger, S, Aristotle on primary substance, Ancient Philosophy, November 1, 2004.
Gibson P How Best to Read Aristotle on Essences internet sourse: www.philosophyideas.com.
Ross, W. D. Metaphysicia, second edition 1908–1952 Oxford university press, Ely house, London, vol viii 1039b.
Barnes (1984a).
Gibson P. How Best to Read Aristotle on Essences internet sourse: www.philosophyideas.com. 29.09.2019
Christopher S Aristotle, (ed) Brian Leiter, 2007 Routledge.
Haslanger S Aristotle on primary substance : Ancient Philosophy, 2004
Cohen (1978).
Sanyal (2002).
Ross, W.D Metaphysicia vol v21 (Oxford University Press, Ely house, London), second edition: 1049a.
Haslanger S Aristotle on primary substance: Ancient Philosophy, 2004.
Ross, W. D Metaphysicia vol v21 (Oxford University Press, Ely house, London), second edition: 1043a.
Sanyal (2002).
David (2000).
Fine (2012).
David (2000).
Fine (2012).
David (2000).
Hylton P: Quine (Arguments of the Philosophers) June 8, 2007, Routledge.
Quine (1976, p. 174).
Quine, W. V. O The roots of reference, 1990, Open Court Publishing Company.
Quine, W. V. O Word and Object 2013 Martini Fine Books.
Hylton P: Quine (Arguments of the Philosophers) June 8, 2007, Routledge.
Word and Object, W V O Quine, the MIT Press, MIT, Cambridge,1976, Ch 6, p 199.
Adams, R. M., 2012, p 29.
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Datta, S. Aristotelian Essence and It’s Critical Approach. J. Indian Counc. Philos. Res. 37, 451–470 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40961-020-00207-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40961-020-00207-5
Keywords
- Primary and secondary substance: primary substance is essence
- Four types of changes: the unchanging ultimate property is essence
- Form and matter: form is essence
- Definition and essence
- General essence versus individual essence
- Essence in Categories and essence in Metaphysics
- Critique of essentialism
- Kripke’s revival of essence
- Rigid and non-rigid designators
- Trans-world identity
- Kripke versus Plantinga
- Adams’ primitive thisness versus haecceity