The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Categories, by Aristotle

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Title: The Categories

Author: Aristotle

Translator: E. M. Edghill

Posting Date: October 23, 2008 [EBook #2412]
Release Date: November, 2000

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Produced by Glyn Hughes. HTML version by Al Haines.

The Categories

By

Aristotle

Translated by E. M. Edghill

Section 1

Part 1

Things are said to be named 'equivocally' when, though they have a
common name, the definition corresponding with the name differs for
each. Thus, a real man and a figure in a picture can both lay claim to
the name 'animal'; yet these are equivocally so named, for, though they
have a common name, the definition corresponding with the name differs
for each. For should any one define in what sense each is an animal,
his definition in the one case will be appropriate to that case only.

On the other hand, things are said to be named 'univocally' which have
both the name and the definition answering to the name in common. A man
and an ox are both 'animal', and these are univocally so named,
inasmuch as not only the name, but also the definition, is the same in
both cases: for if a man should state in what sense each is an animal,
the statement in the one case would be identical with that in the other.

Things are said to be named 'derivatively', which derive their name
from some other name, but differ from it in termination. Thus the
grammarian derives his name from the word 'grammar', and the courageous
man from the word 'courage'.

Part 2

Forms of speech are either simple or composite. Examples of the latter
are such expressions as 'the man runs', 'the man wins'; of the former
'man', 'ox', 'runs', 'wins'.

Of things themselves some are predicable of a subject, and are never
present in a subject. Thus 'man' is predicable of the individual man,
and is never present in a subject.

By being 'present in a subject' I do not mean present as parts are
present in a whole, but being incapable of existence apart from the
said subject.

Some things, again, are present in a subje