--- title: Properties TARGET DECK: Obsidian::H&SS FILE TAGS: ontology::philosophy tags: - ontology --- ## Overview A **property** is an entity that can be predicated of things or, in other words, attributed to them. %%ANKI Basic What is a property? Back: An entity that can be predicated or attributed to things. Reference: Francesco Orilia and Michele Paolini Paoletti, “Properties,” in _The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy_, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Spring 2022 (Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2022), [https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/properties/](https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/properties/). END%% ### Instantiation An entity is said to **instantiate** a property if said entity bears a connection to the property. For example, a human instantiates the property of *being human* and a man instantiates the properties of *being human* and *being a man*. %%ANKI Basic What is instantiation? Back: A relation held between an entity and the properties that describe the entity. Reference: Nikk Effingham, _An Introduction to Ontology_ (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013). END%% %%ANKI Cloze A man is said to {instantiate} the property of *being a man*. Reference: Nikk Effingham, _An Introduction to Ontology_ (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013). END%% %%ANKI Basic What is self-instantiation? Back: The instantiation of a property by itself. Reference: Nikk Effingham, _An Introduction to Ontology_ (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013). END%% %%ANKI Basic What is non-self-instantiation? Back: The non-instantiation of a property by itself. Reference: Nikk Effingham, _An Introduction to Ontology_ (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013). END%% %%ANKI Basic Suppose all properties are self-instantiating. What must be said about *being honest*? Back: The property *being honest* is honest. Reference: Francesco Orilia and Michele Paolini Paoletti, “Properties,” in _The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy_, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Spring 2022 (Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2022), [https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/properties/](https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/properties/). END%% %%ANKI Basic Suppose properties are abstracta. What self-instantiation is thus formed? Back: The property of abstractness is abstract. Reference: Francesco Orilia and Michele Paolini Paoletti, “Properties,” in _The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy_, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Spring 2022 (Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2022), [https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/properties/](https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/properties/). END%% %%ANKI Basic What is the paradox of non-self-instantiation? Back: The property *non-self-instantiation* is non-self-instantiating iff it is self-instantiating. Reference: Nikk Effingham, _An Introduction to Ontology_ (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013). END%% %%ANKI Basic Let $P$ be the property *is non-self-instantiating*. What happens if $P$ is non-self-instantiating? Back: Then $P$ must be self-instantiating. Reference: Nikk Effingham, _An Introduction to Ontology_ (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013). END%% %%ANKI Basic Let $P$ be the property *is non-self-instantiating*. What happens if $P$ is self-instantiating? Back: Then $P$ must be non-self-instantiating. Reference: Nikk Effingham, _An Introduction to Ontology_ (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013). END%% ## Bibliography * Francesco Orilia and Michele Paolini Paoletti, “Properties,” in _The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy_, ed. Edward N. Zalta, Spring 2022 (Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2022), [https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/properties/](https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/properties/). * Nikk Effingham, _An Introduction to Ontology_ (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2013).