Passage
“And so, to sum it up, we must state all correlative terms with exactness. If a name is already to hand, then the statement will prove to be easy. If no name already exists, then I think we have to coin one. It is clear, when the names are correct, that all relative terms are correlative. Correlatives are commonly held to come into existence together, and this, for the most part, is true, as, for instance, of double and half. That a half exists means that the double of which it is half must exist. The existence of a master involved the existence also of a slave. If a slave exists, then must a master. And so in all similar cases. Moreover, this holds of them also: to cancel one cancels the other. For instance, no second, no half, and, per contra, no half, and then no double: and so with all similar terms. However, the view that correlatives come into together doing not appear true at all times, for it seems that the object of knowledge is before, exists before, knowledge. We gain knowledge, commonly speaking, of things that already exist, for in very few cases or none can our knowledge have come into being along with its proper object. Should the object of knowledge itself be canceled? The converse of this is not true. If the object no longer exists, there can no longer be any knowledge, there being now nothing to know. If, however, of this or that object no knowledge has yet been acquired, yet that object itself may exist. Take the squaring of a circle, for instance, if that can be called such an object. Although it exists as an object, the knowledge does not yet exist. If all animals ceased to exist, there would then be no knowledge at all, though there might be in that case, notwithstanding, be sill many objects of knowledge."
Exposition of the Passage
In the passage selected, Aristotle seeks to highlight the importance of having to ensure that people would understand the significance of stating all correlative terms that would relate with exactness. The passage selected for this report comes from Aristotle’s Categories . Aristotle’s Categories is described as one of the most significant works of philosophy, which has had a considerable influence in shaping the western traditions. It is clear that it seeks to highlight some of the critical traditions that the people believe to be of significance in defining their traditions. For example, he introduces the context of slavery indicating that "The existence of a master involved the existence also of a slave.” In this statement, it can be seen that he seeks to suggest that the people themselves define their traditions and the values that they hold as being of any importance in the social setting.
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Aristotle also speaks about the concept of knowledge in the passage arguing that people only seek to gain an understanding of things that they already know or understand. The context of this particular passage may have played a key role towards influencing philosophers towards this work of philosophy. The work does not only serve as the backbone of Aristotle’s philosophical works but also served as an unparalleled influence over some of the great philosophers that sought to describe the western traditions. The passage aims to describe a wide array of philosophical aspects including time and change within the context of Physics 1 . That can be seen from the analogy in which Aristotle describes the squaring of a circle, which acts as a reflection of change within the context of physics.
Interpretation of the Passage
An analysis of the passage may help towards placing it within the broader context of Aristotle's philosophy of language. In other words, this will be of value towards bringing out Aristotle's philosophy of language based on the inherent meaning, as brought about within the passage. The words in the passage seem to create a clear picture, for the reader, on the essence of human language with the view that this would help in describing the traditions and cultural identities. The passage reflects on Aristotle's philosophy of language with the belief that every word has a deeper meaning when placed within a given context as part of highlighting the correlativeness of a given passage. The passage creates an object in which the words stand in a bid to bringing out the intended meaning that would help determine the projected understanding among the readers.
In one of the statement, Aristotle indicates that "We gain knowledge, commonly speaking, of things that already exist, for in very few cases or none can our knowledge have come into being along with its proper object. 2 ” The statement seeks to create a philosophical concept of meaning with the focus being on the fact that it has been placed within a primitive idea. FitzGerald, who analyzes Aristotle’s Categories, indicates that Aristotle build on the view that the meaning of his words would be brought out by the context of meaning 3 . In a sense, this means that the philosophy of language seeks to build a pedestal in which Aristotle can bring out a broad meaning on what would be considered as being the meaning of a given passage.
An analysis of the passage seems to suggest that the passage does not only serve as a platform for philosophical communication. Instead, it acts as an avenue from which Aristotle aims to describe the general understanding of the values that a community or society may consider as being part of their identity. Majority of the philosophers, who have adopted Aristotle's Categories as part of their philosophical works, consider the fact that this particular work of philosophy seeks to describe the western values. The fact that Aristotle reflects on the idea of slavery within the context of the passage demonstrates values that would describe the culture of the west. Aristotle believes in the fact that the western culture reflects more on the fact that the people tend to hold what they consider as being essential in their traditional sense of view of ownership. The passage seeks to bring out this expectation clearly, as it projects the general sense in which Aristotle can use language.
The passage helps readers towards connecting to the general sense of what it means to embrace specific words as part of the philosophy of language with the view that this would work towards describing a general differentiation in expectation. An interpretation of the passage suggests that it not only seeks to build on the increasing understanding of what it means to reflect on progressive provisions but also reflects on positive sense from which it is brought out. Aristotle has a clear understanding of what it means to use language as a critical tool from which to describe overall understanding, thus, creating that general sense in which he seeks to project a total sense of understanding of the passage.
In the philosophy of language, it can be argued that Aristotle seeks to describe a system of communication reflecting on the use of words and their structuring in trying to create a general sense on what would be viable in philosophy. Generally, this can be seen from the passage, as Aristotle seeks to introduce contradicting aspects of physics in a bid to bringing out a given message as part of the passage. In one statement, Aristotle indicates that "Take the squaring of a circle, for instance, if that can be called such an object. 4 ” In this statement, one of the key aspects to note of is that he seeks to create a distinction on what people consider as being conflicting views within the same statement. He aims to disown the belief that indeed words may attempt to create some form of confusion while using within the same context.
Summary
The passage selected for this report is from Aristotle’s Categories , which has been considered as one of the notable works of philosophy that have had significant influence in defining the western traditions. Aristotle also speaks about the concept of knowledge in the passage arguing that people only seek to gain an understanding of things that they already know or understand. The words in the passage seem to create a clear picture of the essence of human language. The passage acts as an avenue from which Aristotle seeks to describe the general understanding of the values that a community or society may consider as being part of their identity.
References
FitzGerald, B. D. (2013). Medieval theories of education: Hugh of St Victor and John of Salisbury. In Ideas of Education (pp. 64-77). Routledge.
Owens, J. (1960). Aristotle on categories. The Review of Metaphysics , 73-90.
Studtmann, P. (2007). Aristotle's categories . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
