[Inquiry] Re: Categories As Equivocation Resolvers

[Jon Awbrey]

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

CAER.  Note 2

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o

| Let us now turn to Relation.  We call a thing relative,
| when it is said to be such as it is from its being 'of'
| some other thing or, if not, from its being related to
| something in some other way.
|
| Thus "the greater" is said to be greater by reference to something
| outside of it.  For, indeed, when we call a thing "greater", we mean
| by that greater 'than' something.  "The double" is called what it is
| from its being the double 'of' something.  For "double" means double
| 'of' something.  And so with all terms of that kind.
|
| Other relatives also there are, such as habit, disposition, perception,
| position or attitude, knowledge.  All these are explained by a reference
| to something to which they belong, and in no other way whatsoever.  A habit
| is a habit 'of' something, knowledge is knowledge 'of' something, position
| position 'of' something.
|
| We speak, then, of relative terms, when a thing's being such as it is
| is explained by a genitive following or else by some phrase or expression
| designed to bring out the relation.  For instance, we call a hill "large",
| meaning large as compared with another.  By such a comparison only it is
| that a hill is called "large".  So we call a thing "similar", "like" --
| "like" or "similar" 'to' something else.  It is thus with all terms
| of that nature.
|
| This also we notice in passing:  while lying and standing and sitting are really
| specific positions, position itself is a relative.  To lie and to stand and to sit,
| these are not themselves really positions;  their names are, however, derived from
| the attitudes just now referred to.
|
| Aristotle, Categories, 7. 6b 1-14
|
| Aristotle, "The Categories", Harold P. Cooke (trans.),
| pp. 12-109 in 'Aristotle, Volume 1', Loeb Classics,
| William Heinemann Ltd, London, UK, 1938.

o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o
inquiry e-lab: http://stderr.org/pipermail/inquiry/
o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~o