Single Idea 12247

[catalogued under 9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 8. Essence as Explanatory]

Full Idea

Essence is not reducible to explanatory relations, ...and fundamentally the role of essence is not explanatory but constitutive.

Gist of Idea

Essence is not explanatory but constitutive

Source

David S. Oderberg (Real Essentialism [2007], 3.1)

Book Reference

Oderberg,David S.: 'Real Essentialism' [Routledge 2009], p.47


A Reaction

Effectively, this asserts essence as part of 'pure' metaphysics, but I like impure metaphysics, as the best explanation of the things we can know. Hence we can speculate about constitution only by means of explanation. Constitution is active.