RT list: The Ariskantian Quartette

The Grecian Basis of Gricean Terminology (Categories)
 
In "Logic and Conversation" Grice amusingly 'echoes Kant' in labelling the
four categories as he does: Quality, Quantity, Relation, and Mode (or Manner).
But indeed, it's Ariskant or Kantotle who he is ultimately echoing. S. R.
Chapman has discussed this, and quoted extensively from the _locus classicus_:
 
"quantity, quality, relation, mode" (Aristotle, Cat. 4.1b -- as tr. by
Grice's pupil, J. L. Ackrill, in the J. L. Austin-ed. Aristotle Clarendon Series).
And indeed Kant has it as "following [echoing] Aristotle ... we will call
these ... categories [quantity, quality, relation, mode] for our aim is
basically identical with his..." (1781/1998:112 tr. Wood).
 
For lovers of Grecian wisdom-love, we have Bentham, whom the OED credits
with coining into the English language the coinage of Aristotle himself
(qualitas, quantity). Bentham coined, "posological" as dealing with 'quantity' and
"poiological" as dealing with 'quality'. And of course now we need two good
pretty productive labels for 'relation' and 'manner' to complete the Ariskantian
quartette.
 
Bentham. poiological. [< ancient Greek of what kind or nature (< the same
Indo-European base as WHO pron. + -, suffix forming adjectives; corresponding
in sense to classical Latin qulis) + -LOGY comb. form.] In Jeremy Bentham's
terminology: the branch of philosophy which deals with matter in respect of
quality rather than quantity. Cf. POSOLOGY n. 2. 1816 J. BENTHAM Chrestomathia
in Wks. (1843) VIII. 119 Exhibiting Posology and Poiology together, in the
character of two branches comprehending between them the whole contents of
Somatology. 1929 H. E. BLISS Organisation of Knowl. xx. 386 Physics, alias
Poiology, [Bordeau defined as] the science of modalities. DERIVATIVES, poiological
adj. relating to or concerned with quality, rather than quantity. 1816 J.
BENTHAM Chrestomathia in Wks. (1843) VIII. 86 *Poiological Somatology.

Refs. Chapman, S. 'Ariskant'.
Bennett, "In the tradition of Kantotle" (review of P.G.R.I.C.E.), TLS.
 
J. L. Speranza
The Swimming Pool Library
Villa Speranza, Bordighera, etc.

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Received on Fri Apr 4 12:49:37 2008