Demonstrability of Categories: the viae divisivae and their criticisms

Abstract

From an early stage, the Aristotelian list of ten categories was seen with suspicion. Authors discussed not only the scope of the list - expressions, concepts, realities -, but also its alleged arbitrariness. One of the attempts to give an account of the completeness and sufficiency of the Aristotelian categories was inspired by a passage in Aristotle's Topics: a via divisiva, in a shape of a tree, which covers all the possibilities. At least since Porphyry, several authors applied this scheme to the ten categories. With this work, I intend to present some of the viae divisivae created by 13th century authors, i.e., Robert Kilwardby, Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas. In a second moment, I will give an account about Duns Scotus' critique to this kind of procedure. According to Scotus, the viae divisivae do the opposite of what is intended.

Keywords: Categories; sufficientia praedicamentorum.

Ancient and medieval authors: Aristotle; Robert Kilwardby; Albertus Magnus; Duns Scotus; Thomas Aquinas.

http://dx.doi.org/10.21747/21836884/med37a3