The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 01 (of 11)Hobbes, Thomas
Philosophy
The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 01 (of 11)
Hobbes, Thomas
Philosophy, English -- 17th century
though such has been the philosophy of many.
[Sidenote: A predicament described.]
15. The writers of _logic_ have endeavoured to digest the names of all
the kinds of things into certain _scales_ or degrees, by the continual
subordination of names less common, to names more common. In the scale
of _bodies_ they put in the first and highest place _body_ simply, and
in the next place under it less common names, by which it may be more
limited and determined, namely _animated_ and _inanimated_, and so on
till they come to _individuals_. In like manner, in the scale of
_quantities_, they assign the first place to _quantity_, and the next to
_line_, _superficies_, and _solid_, which are names of less latitude;
and these orders or scales of names they usually call _predicaments_ and
_categories_. And of this ordination not only positive, but negative
names also are capable; which may be exemplified by such forms of the
_predicaments_ as follow:
THE FORM OF THE PREDICAMENT OF BODY.
Not-Body, or
Accident.
{ Not animated.
Body { { Not living Creature.
{ Animated {
{ Living { Not Man.
{ Creature { { Not Peter.
{ Man {
{ Peter.
{ { Quantity, or so much.
Both Accident and Body { Absolutely, as {
are considered { or { Quality, or such.
{ Comparatively, which is called their Relation.
THE FORM OF THE PREDICAMENT OF QUANTITY.
{ Not continual,
{ as Number. { Line.
Quantity. { { Of itself, as { Superficies.
{ { { Solid.
{ Continual {
{ { Time, by Line.
{ { Motion, by Line and
{ By accident, as { Time.
{ Force, by Motion and
{ Solid.
Where, it is to be noted, that _line_, _superficies_, and _solid_, may
be said to be of such and such quantity, that is, to be originally and
of their own nature capable of equality and inequality; but we cannot
say there is either majority or minority, or equality, or indeed any
quantity at all, in _time_, without the help of _line_ and _motion_; nor
in _motion_, without _line_ and _time_; nor in _force_, otherwise than
by _motion_ and _solid_.
THE FORM OF THE PREDICAMENT OF QUALITY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account