Witt Substance and Essence in Aristotle

An Interpretation of "Metaphysics" VII-IX
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5017-1151-0
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 216 Seiten, WEB PDF, Format (B × H): 139 mm x 215 mm

Substance and Essence in Aristotle is a close study of Aristotle's most profound—and perplexing—treatise: Books VII-IX of the Metaphysics. These central books, which focus on the nature of substance, have gained a deserved reputation for their difficulty, inconclusiveness, and internal inconsistency. Despite these problems, Witt extracts from Aristotle's text a coherent and provocative view about sensible substance by focusing on Aristotle's account of form or essence. After exploring the context in which Aristotle's discussion of sensible substance takes place, Witt turns to his analysis of essence. Arguing against the received interpretation, according to which essences are classificatory, Witt maintains that a substance's essence is what causes it to exist. In addition, Substance and Essence in Aristotle challenges the orthodox view that Aristotelian essences are species-essences, defending instead the controversial position that they are individual essences. Finally, Witt compares Aristotelian essentialism to contemporary essentialist theories, focusing in particular on Kripke's work. She concludes that fundamental differences between Aristotelian and contemporary essentialist theories highlight important features of Aristotle's theory and the philosophical problems and milieu that engendered it.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Witt, Charlotte

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie Antike Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Klassische Literaturwissenschaft
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Metaphysik, Ontologie

Über Autor(innen)

WittCharlotte:
Sally Haslanger is Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Charlotte Witt is Professor of Philosophy at the University of New Hampshire. She is the author of Ways of Being: Potentiality and Actuality in Aristotle's Metaphysics and Substance and Essence in Aristotle: An Interpretation of Metaphysics VII-IX (both from Cornell).