Differentia, and the relative species

Conceptions · al-faṣl wa-l-nawʿ al-iḍāfī · pp. 62–64

الفَصْلُ وَالنَّوْعُ الإِضافِيُّ

Concept · nog niet nagekeken

Persian text after the print of Kanpur 1279/1862–63 · translation by The Mantiqi, draft

About this text

al-Kubrā الكُبْرَى

al-Sayyid al-Sharīf al-Jurjānī (d. 816/1413)

Text: Persian, transcribed by The Mantiqi from the lithograph, without its marginal glosses: Majmūʿa-yi manṭiq, Maṭbaʿ-i Alṭāfī, Kanpur 1279/1862–63, pp. 1–42 View the scan
Lessons follow: al-Manṭiq al-manhajī li-l-mubtadiʾīn: al-Ṣughrā wa-l-Awsaṭ wa-l-Kubrā, Arabic version and arrangement by Muḥammad Anwar al-Badakhshānī (Jāmiʿat al-ʿUlūm al-Islāmiyya, ʿAllāma Banūrī Town), Islam Insight, Karachi 1420/1999, pp. 42–86. The lessons are The Mantiqi's own explanations in the order of this edition; its text is under copyright and is not reproduced.
Translation: The Mantiqi's own, into English and into vocalised Arabic; a draft. The Arabic is translated from the Persian, not taken from a printed Arabic version.
Review: Draft, awaiting review by Ustadh Muhammad Yusuf.

The text

Need another language? “Google Translate” opens a passage in Google's machine translation — handy for a first idea, but not checked by us. Or copy the text into a translator of your choice.

Read the whole Persian text →

Persian original, Majmūʿa-yi manṭiq, Kanpur 1279/1862–63

و اگر آن جزو حقیقت افراد تمام مشترک نباشد آن را فصل خوانند، زیرا که آن حقیقت افراد را تمیز کند از غیر تمیز جوهری، خواه آن جزو مشترک نباشد اصلاً چون ناطق که مخصوص است بحقیقت افراد انسان پس این حقیقت را از همه ماهیات تمیز میکند، و این را فصل قریب خوانند، و خواه مشترک باشد اما تمام مشترک نباشد که بوی تمیز حقیقت شود از بعض ماهیات چون حساس، و این را فصل بعید خوانند. بالجمله فصل ممیز ذاتیست جوهری، پس او کلی باشد که در جواب ای شیء هو فی جوهره واقع شود. فصل. بدانکه نوع را معنی دیگر است که آن را نوع اضافی خوانند، و او ماهیتی است که جنس مقول شود بر وی و بر ماهیت دیگر در جواب ما هو، چون انسان که مقول میشود بر وی و بر فرس حیوان در جواب ما هو. و نوع اضافی شاید که نوع حقیقی باشد چنانکه گفتیم، و شاید که نباشد چون حیوان که نوع اضافی جسم نامی است، و جسم نامی که نوع اضافی جسم است، و جسم که نوع اضافی جوهر است.

If that part of the reality of the individuals is not the whole of what is shared, it is called a differentia, because it sets the reality of the individuals apart from others with a substantial distinction: whether that part is not shared at all, like rational, which belongs only to the reality of the individuals of man and so sets this reality apart from all quiddities — and this is called the near differentia — or is shared but not the whole of what is shared, so that by it the reality is set apart from some quiddities only, like sensing — and this is called a far differentia. In short, the differentia is an essential, substantial distinguisher, so it is a universal given in answer to “which thing is it in its substance?”. Section. Know that species has another meaning, which is called the relative species: a quiddity of which, together with another quiddity, a genus is said in answer to “what is it?”, like man, of which and of horse “animal” is said in answer to “what is it?”. A relative species may be a real species, as we have said, or not, like animal, which is a relative species under growing body, and growing body under body, and body under substance.

Arabic translation

وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذٰلِكَ الْجُزْءُ مِنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْأَفْرَادِ تَمَامَ الْمُشْتَرَكِ سُمِّيَ فَصْلًا، لِأَنَّهُ يُمَيِّزُ حَقِيقَةَ الْأَفْرَادِ عَنْ غَيْرِهَا تَمْيِيزًا جَوْهَرِيًّا، سَوَاءٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ ذٰلِكَ الْجُزْءُ مُشْتَرَكًا أَصْلًا كَالنَّاطِقِ الْمُخْتَصِّ بِحَقِيقَةِ أَفْرَادِ الْإِنْسَانِ، فَيُمَيِّزُ هٰذِهِ الْحَقِيقَةَ عَنْ جَمِيعِ الْمَاهِيَّاتِ، وَيُسَمَّى الْفَصْلَ الْقَرِيبَ، أَوْ كَانَ مُشْتَرَكًا لٰكِنْ لَيْسَ تَمَامَ الْمُشْتَرَكِ، فَيَتَمَيَّزُ بِهِ الْحَقِيقَةُ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْمَاهِيَّاتِ، كَالْحَسَّاسِ، وَيُسَمَّى الْفَصْلَ الْبَعِيدَ. وَبِالْجُمْلَةِ فَالْفَصْلُ مُمَيِّزٌ ذَاتِيٌّ جَوْهَرِيٌّ، فَهُوَ كُلِّيٌّ يَقَعُ فِي جَوَابِ: أَيُّ شَيْءٍ هُوَ فِي جَوْهَرِهِ؟ فَصْلٌ. اِعْلَمْ أَنَّ لِلنَّوْعِ مَعْنًى آخَرَ يُسَمَّى النَّوْعَ الْإِضَافِيَّ، وَهُوَ مَاهِيَّةٌ يُقَالُ عَلَيْهَا وَعَلَى غَيْرِهَا الْجِنْسُ فِي جَوَابِ مَا هُوَ، كَالْإِنْسَانِ فَإِنَّهُ يُقَالُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى الْفَرَسِ الْحَيَوَانُ فِي جَوَابِ مَا هُوَ. وَالنَّوْعُ الْإِضَافِيُّ قَدْ يَكُونُ نَوْعًا حَقِيقِيًّا كَمَا قُلْنَا، وَقَدْ لَا يَكُونُ، كَالْحَيَوَانِ فَإِنَّهُ نَوْعٌ إِضَافِيٌّ لِلْجِسْمِ النَّامِي، وَالْجِسْمُ النَّامِي نَوْعٌ إِضَافِيٌّ لِلْجِسْمِ، وَالْجِسْمُ نَوْعٌ إِضَافِيٌّ لِلْجَوْهَرِ.

Google Translate ↗pp. 21–22

The lesson

A part of the that is not the whole of what is shared is a (faṣl): it sets the of its individuals apart from others essentially, as rational does. Laughing also sets man apart, but accidentally, so it is not a differentia but a property. A differentia shared with nothing else is a near differentia, like rational, proper to man and setting him apart from every other quiddity. One that is shared, but is not the whole of what is shared, and sets the quiddity apart from some of what shares with it, is a far differentia, like sensing: it sets the animal apart from everything that shares with it, plants and minerals, but sets man apart only from the plants, not from the other animals. So sensing is the near differentia of animal and a far differentia of man.

In short, the is an distinguisher: a that answers the question “which thing is it, in its substance?” (ayy shayʾ huwa fī jawharih).

The word has a second sense, the relative species (nawʿ iḍāfī): that of which, together with other things, a is said in answer to “what is it?”. Man, besides being a real species, is a relative species, since animal is said of him and the horse. Animal is a relative species under growing body, growing body under body, body under substance. So every real species is a relative species, like man, but not every relative species is a real species, like animal and what is above it.

Terms

الفَصْلُ القَرِيبُ al-faṣl al-qarīb: near differentia: proper to the quiddity
الفَصْلُ البَعِيدُ al-faṣl al-baʿīd: far differentia: sets it apart from some only
أَيُّ شَيْءٍ هُوَ فِي جَوْهَرِهِ ayy shayʾ huwa fī jawharih: “which thing is it, in its substance?”: answered by the differentia
النَّوْعُ الإِضافِيُّ al-nawʿ al-iḍāfī: relative species: what a genus is said of
الحَسّاسُ al-ḥassās: sensing

Examples

النّاطِقُ
“rational”: the near differentia of man
الحَسّاسُ
“sensing”: near for animal, far for man
الحَيَوانُ
“animal”: a relative species, not a real one

Test jezelf

3 questions on this lesson. With 6 out of 10 or more (two stars) the next lesson opens.

Vraag 1
For man, “sensing” is…
Vraag 2
Why is laughing not a differentia of man?
Vraag 3
Is animal a real species, a relative species, or both?

Volgende les: The accidentals and the four kinds of definer

Verder →