ATTRIBUTE, ATTRIBUTUM, in Philosophy, a Property which agrees to some Person, or Thing; or a Quality, which determines something to be after a certain Manner. See PROPERTY and QUALITY.
Thus, Understanding is an Attribute of Mind; Figure, an Attribute of Body, etc. Spinoza makes the Soul and the Body to be of the same Substance; with this only Difference, that the Soul is to be conceived under the Attribute of Thought, and the Body under that of Extension. See SUBSTANCE, SPINOSISM, etc.
Of the several Attributes belonging to any Substance, that which presents itself first, and which the Mind conceives as the Foundation of all the rest, is called its essential Attribute. See ESSENCE and ESSENTIAL.
Thus, Extension is by some; and Solidity by others, made the essential Attribute of Body or Matter. See BODY, MATTER, EXTENSION, SOLIDITY, etc. The other Attributes are called accidental ones. See ACCIDENT. Mr. Lock endeavours to prove, that Thinking, which the Cartesians make the essential Attribute of the Mind, is only an accidental one. See THINKING, MIND, SOUL, etc.
Thus, Understanding is an Attribute of Mind; Figure, an Attribute of Body, etc. Spinoza makes the Soul and the Body to be of the same Substance; with this only Difference, that the Soul is to be conceived under the Attribute of Thought, and the Body under that of Extension. See SUBSTANCE, SPINOSISM, etc.
Of the several Attributes belonging to any Substance, that which presents itself first, and which the Mind conceives as the Foundation of all the rest, is called its essential Attribute. See ESSENCE and ESSENTIAL.
Thus, Extension is by some; and Solidity by others, made the essential Attribute of Body or Matter. See BODY, MATTER, EXTENSION, SOLIDITY, etc. The other Attributes are called accidental ones. See ACCIDENT. Mr. Lock endeavours to prove, that Thinking, which the Cartesians make the essential Attribute of the Mind, is only an accidental one. See THINKING, MIND, SOUL, etc.
The Faculty of Abstracting, stands directly opposite to that of Compounding — By Composition we consider those Things together, which in reality are not join'd together in one Existence. And by Abstraction, we consider those Things separately and apart, which in reality do not exist apart. See COMPOSITION.
Abstraction is chiefly employ'd these three ways— First, when the Mind considers any one Part of a Thing, in some respects distinct from the Whole ; as a Man's Arm, without the Consideration of the rest of his Body.
Secondly, when we consider the Mode of any Substance, omitting the Substance it self; or when we separately consider several Modes which subsist together in one Subject. See MODE.
This Abstraction the Geometricians make use of, when they consider the Length of a Body separately, which they call a Line ; omitting the Consideration of its Breadth and Depth.
Thirdly, it is by Abstraction that the Mind frames general or universal Ideas ; omitting the Modes and Relations of the particular Objects whence they are form'd. — Thus, when we would understand a thinking Being in general, we gather from our Self-consciousness what it is to Think ; and omitting the Consideration of those Things which have a peculiar Relation to our own Mind, or to the human Mind, we think of a thinking Being in general.
Ideas fram'd thus, which are what we properly call Abstract Ideas, become general Representatives of all Objects of the same Kind ; and their Names applicable to whatever exists conformable to such Ideas. — Thus, the Colour that we receive from Chalk, Snow, Milk, &c. is a Representative of all of that Kind ; and has a Name given it, Whiteness, which signifies the same Quality, wherever sound or imagin'd. See GENERAL.
'Tis this last Faculty, or Power of Abstracting, according to Mr. Locke, that makes the great Difference between Man and Brutes ; even those latter must be allowed to have some share of Reason : That they really reason in some Cases, seems almost as evident as that they have Sense ; but 'tis only in particular Ideas. They are tyed up to those narrow Bounds ; and do not seem to have any Faculty of enlarging them by Abstraction. Essay on Human Understanding, L. III. c. 3.
ACATALEPSIA, Acatalepsy, in Philosophy, Incomprehensibleness; or the Impossibility of comprehending or conceiving a thing. See COMPREHENSION.
The Pyrrhonians and Sceptics, and even the Ancient Academy, asserted an absolute Acatalepsia: All human Science or Knowledge, according to them, went no further than to Appearances and Verisimilitude.
See PYRRHONIAN, SCEPTIC, and ACADEMY.
The Pyrrhonians and Sceptics, and even the Ancient Academy, asserted an absolute Acatalepsia: All human Science or Knowledge, according to them, went no further than to Appearances and Verisimilitude.
See PYRRHONIAN, SCEPTIC, and ACADEMY.
ACCOMMODATION, in Philosophy, the Application of one thing, by Analogy, to another. See ANALOGY.
Thus, to know a thing by Accommodation, is to know it by the Idea of a similar thing referred thereto.
A Prophecy of Scripture is said to be fulfilled various ways;Properly, as when a thing foretold comes to pass; and Improperly, or by way of Accommodation, when an Event happens to any Place or People, like to what was foretold some time before to another. Thus, the Words of Isaiah, spoke to those of his own Time, are said to be fulfilled in those who lived in our Saviour's; and are accommodated to them: Ye Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, &c. which same Words, St. Paul afterwards accommodates to the Jews of his Time. — This Method of explaining Scripture by Accommodation serves as a Key for solving some of the Difficulties relating to the Prophecies. See TYPE, PROPHECY, &c.
Thus, to know a thing by Accommodation, is to know it by the Idea of a similar thing referred thereto.
A Prophecy of Scripture is said to be fulfilled various ways;Properly, as when a thing foretold comes to pass; and Improperly, or by way of Accommodation, when an Event happens to any Place or People, like to what was foretold some time before to another. Thus, the Words of Isaiah, spoke to those of his own Time, are said to be fulfilled in those who lived in our Saviour's; and are accommodated to them: Ye Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, &c. which same Words, St. Paul afterwards accommodates to the Jews of his Time. — This Method of explaining Scripture by Accommodation serves as a Key for solving some of the Difficulties relating to the Prophecies. See TYPE, PROPHECY, &c.