Three Ones and Aristotle's Metaphysics. (23rd November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Crager, Adam
• Is Part Of: Metaphysics. Volume 1:Number 1(2018)
• Page Start: 110
• Page End: 134
• Publication Date: 2018-11-23
• Subjects: Aristotle -- Metaphysics -- oneness -- unity -- number -- being; 110
• DOI: 10.5334/met.6
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2515-8279

Abstract

Aristotle's Metaphysics defends a number of theses about oneness [ to hen ]. For interpreting the Metaphysics ' positive henology, two such theses are especially important: (1) to hen and being [ to on ] are equally general and so intimately connected that there can be no science of the former which isn't also a science of the latter, and (2) to hen is the foundation [ archē ] of number qua number. Aristotle decisively commits himself to both (1) and (2). The central goal of this article is to improve our understanding of what the Metaphysics ' endorsement of their conjunction amounts to. To this end we explore three manners of being one which enter into Aristotle's Metaphysics : I call them unity, uniqueness, and unit-hood . On the view the article defends, it's unity (and not uniqueness) that's at issue in Aristotle's endorsement of (1) and unit-hood (and not uniqueness) that's at issue in his endorsement of (2). The Metaphysics ' positive henology as whole, I suggest, is best interpreted by positing a theory-internal distinction between unity, uniqueness, and unit-hood.