When asking 'What is this?', we seek to know its nature or quiddity. The book approaches this through the human example, distinguishing a person's identity from what makes the human kind what it is.
'Zayd is my neighbor' identifies a person by a relation, but does not define humanity.
In classical logic, 'human is a rational animal' is offered as an account of the defining content of the human kind.
Recognizing an individual and understanding the essence of a kind are distinct intellectual tasks.
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What question does quiddity answer?
Essence, Quiddity, and Essential vs Accidental Universals
When asking 'What is this?', we seek to know its nature or quiddity. The book approaches this through the human example, distinguishing a person's identity from what makes the human kind what it is.
'Zayd is my neighbor' identifies a person by a relation, but does not define humanity.
In classical logic, 'human is a rational animal' is offered as an account of the defining content of the human kind.
Recognizing an individual and understanding the essence of a kind are distinct intellectual tasks.