Properties in Ancient Metaphysics (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781009475730)

This Element provides an overview of how the ancient thinkers (Anaxagoras, Plato and Aristotle) theorised about properties; such overview puts in relief the inquiries, problems and solutions they were pursuing while engaged in dialogue with each other. It examines alternative philosophical perspectives existing in antiquity concerning the explanation of property qualification, qualitative similarity, compositeness, and oneness. It further argues that although Plato was the first to conceptualise recurring universals, he did not reify them and did not admit them in his ontology; it was Aristotle who did, and developed his metaphysics around them. Aristotle, building on Plato's work, identified the metaphysical phenomenon of the instantiation of properties and developed an account for it. Finally, this Element outlines Aristotle's 'sophisticated' account of the oneness of a substance and argues that it was not hylomorphic.

Author: Anna Marmodoro
ISBN-10: 1009475738
ISBN-13: 9781009475730
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 12/21/2023
Pages: 78
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.61lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.25d