/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.6512574]

From what I understand, in Aristotle a primary substance is something like a human being and a secondary substance is the species.

But why and how does it stop on a human being? Why isn't a nose the primary substance and a human the secondary substance? I just don't get this.

[Anonymous No.6512641]

>>6512574

Unity of parts; substance, if I recall, depends in part on something being separable, and the nose isn't separable from the being it's on.

[Anonymous No.6512652]

>>6512574
Are you reading the Categories?

If so, then read the Metaphysics next. He changes his stance on what primary substance is, moving from the particular to the genus, with a priority of pure geni over compositional ones. Therefore the human would be a substance but what makes up a human, for example earth, would be prior. There's also a lot of stuff about how if one thing must include something else in its account or definition for it to makes sense then it is posterior, and a lot of other stuff like that.

He explains it better than I do, and it might give you a more satisfying answer.

[Anonymous No.6512921]

Uh, because a human being is an individual. A human isn't a part of something else, like a nose is a part of your body. There are no Individual noses walking around. It's pretty simple dude, what don't you understand?