Singleness - Self-Individuation and Its Rejection in the Scholastic Debate on Principles of Individuation

The book is a systematic study of the issue of self-individuation in the scholastic debate on principles of individuation (principia individuationis).
The point of departure is a general formulation of the problem of individuation acceptable for all the participants of the scholastic debate: a principle of individuation of x is what makes x individual (in various possible senses of 'making something individual'). The book argues against a prima facie plausible view that everything that is individual is individual by itself and not by anything distinct from it (Strong Self-Individuation Thesis). The keynote topic of the book is a detailed analysis of the two competing ways of rejecting the Strong Self-Individuation Thesis: the Scotistic and the Thomistic one. The book defends the latter one, discussing a number of issues concerning substantial and accidental forms, essences, properties, instantiation, the Thomistic notion of materia signata, Frege's Begriff-Gegenstand distinction, and Geach's form-function analogy developed in his writings on Aquinas.
In the context of both the scholastic and contemporary metaphysics, the book offers a framework for dealing with issues of individuality and defends a Thomistic theory of individuation.

About the author

Michä G¿owala, Wroc¿aw University, Poland.

Product details

• Authors: Michal Glowala
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.2016
• EAN: 9783110462951
• ISBN: 978-3-11-046295-1
• No. of pages: 163
• Dimensions: 165 mm x 12 mm x 235 mm
• Weight: 381 g
• Series: Philosophische Analyse; Philosophische Analyse /Philosophical Analysis; Philosophische Analyse /Philosophical Analysis; Philosophische Analyse / Philosophical Analysis; ISSN; Philosophische Analyse / Philosophical Analysis, 70
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > Middle Ages; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: antiquity to present day