XIII. Categories of being: substances (II)
XIII. a. Recap
XIII. b. General problems with bundle theories
1) Counting tropes
- Bundle theory of tropes: tropes lacking determinate countability (i.e., possibility
counting shades of red in world ; difficulty counting number of exactly resembling
tropes in set of exactly resembling tropes)
- Basis for numerically distinction of tropes belonging to same exact resemblance
class: tropes = distinct particulars
o Question basis of distinct particularity of tropes (i.e., spatiotemporal
particularity ; particularity on basis of instantiating substance)
2) Problem with bundle theories
- Properties ≠ suited playing role of substances
- Properties = ways of being of substances
Inevitable conclusion: rejecting bundle theories & accepting substances as
ontologically additional category
XIII. c. Aristotelian substances: substance ontology
- Substance = ontologically additional entity ≠ thin particular
- Properties so intimately connected to substances ≠ need for admitting state of
affairs for welding properties & substances together properties & substances ≠
distinct constituents
- Intimate connection properties/substances distinguishing thinking
misconceived substance ≠ thin particular
- Properties ontologically dependent on substances
- Substances ≠ ontologically dependent on anything
XIII. d. Properties as universals or tropes
- Properties = universals ≠ need for properties as particulars when substances =
particularising entities
- Problem: contrasting Platonistic & Aristotelian understandings of properties
o Platonistic understanding of properties: properties = transcendent &
standing apart from substance
o Aristotelian understanding of properties: properties existing solely in
substances ‘in re’ conception of properties
- Aristotelian account of substance: difficulty understanding substance instantiating
property from different realm while preserving intimate dependence relationship
between substance & property
- Properties = ways of being of substances properties located at same location
as substances properties instantiated by concrete substance located in space
& time
o Properties as tropes: tropes = ‘in re’ = existing in instantiating substance
due to particularity of property to substance
XIII. a. Recap
XIII. b. General problems with bundle theories
1) Counting tropes
- Bundle theory of tropes: tropes lacking determinate countability (i.e., possibility
counting shades of red in world ; difficulty counting number of exactly resembling
tropes in set of exactly resembling tropes)
- Basis for numerically distinction of tropes belonging to same exact resemblance
class: tropes = distinct particulars
o Question basis of distinct particularity of tropes (i.e., spatiotemporal
particularity ; particularity on basis of instantiating substance)
2) Problem with bundle theories
- Properties ≠ suited playing role of substances
- Properties = ways of being of substances
Inevitable conclusion: rejecting bundle theories & accepting substances as
ontologically additional category
XIII. c. Aristotelian substances: substance ontology
- Substance = ontologically additional entity ≠ thin particular
- Properties so intimately connected to substances ≠ need for admitting state of
affairs for welding properties & substances together properties & substances ≠
distinct constituents
- Intimate connection properties/substances distinguishing thinking
misconceived substance ≠ thin particular
- Properties ontologically dependent on substances
- Substances ≠ ontologically dependent on anything
XIII. d. Properties as universals or tropes
- Properties = universals ≠ need for properties as particulars when substances =
particularising entities
- Problem: contrasting Platonistic & Aristotelian understandings of properties
o Platonistic understanding of properties: properties = transcendent &
standing apart from substance
o Aristotelian understanding of properties: properties existing solely in
substances ‘in re’ conception of properties
- Aristotelian account of substance: difficulty understanding substance instantiating
property from different realm while preserving intimate dependence relationship
between substance & property
- Properties = ways of being of substances properties located at same location
as substances properties instantiated by concrete substance located in space
& time
o Properties as tropes: tropes = ‘in re’ = existing in instantiating substance
due to particularity of property to substance
