- Haecceity
Haecceity (from the
Latin "haecceitas", which translates as "thisness") is a term frommedieval philosophy first coined byDuns Scotus which denotes the discrete qualities, properties or characteristics of a thing which make it a "particular" thing. Haecceity is a person or object's "thisness".Charles Peirce later used the term as a non-descriptive reference to an individual.Haecceity and Quiddity
Haecceity may be defined in some dictionaries as simply the "essence" of a thing, or as a simple synonym for
quiddity orhypokeimenon . However, such a definition deprives the term of its subtle distinctiveness and utility. Whereas haecceity refers to aspects of a thing which make it a "particular" thing, quiddity refers to the universal qualities of a thing, its "whatness", or the aspects of a thing which it may share with other things and by which it may form part of agenus of things. Duns Scotus makes the following distinction:It is important to note that while terms such as haecceity, quiddity,
noumenon and hypokeimenon all evoke theessence of a thing, they each have subtle differences and refer to different aspects of the thing's essence.Gilles Deleuze andFelix Guattari repopularized the term in the late 20th century, as in the following quotation: "There is no general prescription. We have done with all globalizing concepts. Even concepts are haecceities, events."ources
* Deleuze, Gilles and
Félix Guattari . 1980. "A Thousand Plateaus ". Trans.Brian Massumi . London and New York: Continuum, 2004. Vol. 2 of "Capitalism and Schizophrenia ". 2 vols. 1972-1980. Trans. of "Mille Plateaux". Paris: Les Editions de Minuit. ISBN 0826476945.See also
*
Duns Scotus
*Principle of individuation External links
* [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/medieval-haecceity/"Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy" article — "Medieval Theories of Haecceity"]
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Haecceity — H[ae]c*ce i*ty (h[e^]k*s[=e] [i^]*t[y^]), [L. h[ae]cce this.] (Logic) Literally, this ness. A scholastic term to express individuality or singleness; as, this book … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
haecceity — [hek sē′ə tē] n. 〚ML haecceitas < L haec, fem. of hic, this + itas, ity〛 the condition of being a uniquely particular person or thing; individuality * * * … Universalium
haecceity — [hek sē′ə tē] n. [ML haecceitas < L haec, fem. of hic, this + itas, ity] the condition of being a uniquely particular person or thing; individuality … English World dictionary
haecceity — noun /hɛkˈsiːətiː,hiːkˈsiːətiː/ The essence of a particular thing; those qualities that define it and make it unique … Wiktionary
haecceity — Term used by Duns Scotus for that in virtue of which an individual is the individual that it is: its individuating essence making it this object or person. Haecceitism is the doctrine that there are such individual concepts. In modern discussion… … Philosophy dictionary
haecceity — [hɛk si:ɪti, hi:k ] noun Philosophy 1》 the quality of a thing that makes it unique or describable as ‘this (one)’. 2》 individuality. Origin C17: from med. L. haecceitas, from L. haec, feminine of hic this … English new terms dictionary
haecceity — haec·ce·i·ty … English syllables
haecceity — /haɪˈkeɪəti/ (say huy kayuhtee) noun Philosophy (in the philosophy of Duns Scotus) the discrete properties or characteristics of a thing which determine its individuality. Compare quiddity (def. 1). {Latin haeccitas this ness} … Australian English dictionary
haecceity — n. thisness ; quality of being here at present … Dictionary of difficult words
haecceity — refer to the entries on experience , individuation , percept + literature , phenomenology + Husserl and post structuralism + politics … The Deleuze dictionary