Samuel De Mazarin
Wonderer
- Joined
- May 27, 2008
- Messages
- 1,026
- MBTI Type
- ENTP
I think you and I are going to get on splendidly!
How do I justify essences?
The essence of a thing just is what that thing is particularly. If you'd like, we could substitute talk of essences for what a thing is particularly, based on its specific differences.
But differences are based on what thing is and what it isn
This is a good conversation... free of the animus which often plagues internet discussions...
I agree that differences are based on what a thing is and what it isn't, but my point is that I don't know that we can ever analytically determine what a thing is... it's sort of like asking "what is the thing-in-itself"... essences would fall under noumena in my reading.
Honestly, biology is pretty much the most extensive attempt at classifying essences... what are we? Homo sapiens... what are homo sapiens? primates which can think in indefinitely embedded clauses, have opposable thumbs, walk upright, have sexual relations for pleasure... I think the first two, maybe three (we did have homo erectus), are pretty much unique to us... so what is the essence of humanity or being human?
I think that's a decent springboard...