Conatus: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

C O N A T U S

5. Simple Splits and Mysterian

Splits!

‘Let no one when young delay to study philosophy, nor when he is old grow weary of the task; for nobody can come too early or too late to secure the health of his soul.’

Epicurus — Letter to Menoeceus

Let’s start off this chapter with a relatively simple ‘split’ in the world — the split between everyday objects and ‘universals’ — that is, common properties held amongst objects. The more difficult ‘splits’ that are explored in this chapter are really just derivatives from this simpler idea of universals.

Things that might serve as tables were given as an example in the last chapter. Calling something a table is to use the word ‘table’ as a universal.

It can also be helpful to think of universals as they relate to ‘qualities’. Qualities were considered back in Chapter 2, and there it was explained that they were once divided into primary and secondary qualities — with primary qualities belonging directly to things whilst secondary qualities were characteristics that things seem to have because of our perception

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