The Essential Predicables Flashcards
What are the five predicables?
A classification of universal concepts according to extension. They can also be called the five predicates that may be affirmed or denied about a thing, or that they are an analysis of the universal natures presented by the ten categories.
List the 5 predicables
Species, genus, difference, accident, property.
Explain what an inferior is
An inferior is the subject. It’s called the inferior because the subject will always have less or equal to extension than the predicable.
Define species.
Species is a universal nature predicable of many things that differ only nonessenticelly and numerically. (They only differ in things mostly in the category quality, or differ in non many or how much there is.)
What question does species answer?
“What is it?”
What are he saying when me predicate something of something else?
We are affirming or denying something about a thing.
Define genus
Genus is a universal nature predicable of many things that differ only in species.
What question does genus answer?
“what is its essence?”
When we ask the question “What is its essence?” in terms of genus, how fully are we answering the question?
We are not referring to the while essence of the subject. Genus does not encompass the whole essence of a subject, but indicates the common and determinable part of the essence of the subject. Because of this, things included under the same genus will differ in species. We are not specifying what the subject is as in species; We are putting the subject in the proper class of things.
Define difference.
Difference is a universal nature predicable of many things that differ in either number or species.
What question does difference answer?
” What is the quality of a subject’s essence?”
Why do we call the 3rd predicable difference?
Because it differentiates the essence or nature from other natures in the same genus.
What is a specific difference?
One that refers to one thing. Specific differences are lower on the porphyrian tree.
What is a generic difference?
One that refers to many things. Generic differences are higher up on the porphyrian tree than specific ones.
