The Categories and the Principle of Coherence: Whitehead’s Theory of Categories in Historical Perspective

253 Pages·1987·3.265 MB·English

by  A. Zvie Bar-On (auth.)

THE CATEGORIES AND THE PRINCIPLE OF COHERENCE
NIJHOFF INTERNATIONAL PHILOSOPHY SERIES
VOLUME 26
General Editor: JAN T.J. SRZEDNICKI (Contributions to Philosophy)
Editor: LYNNE M. BROUGHTON (Applying Philosophy)
Editor: STANISLAW J. SURMA (Logic and Applying Logic)
Editorial Advisory Board:
R.M. Chisholm, Brown University, Rhode Island. Mats Furberg, Goteborg
University, D.A.T. Gasking, University of Melbourne, H.L.A. Hart, University
College, Oxford. S. Korner, University of Bristol and Yale University.
H.J. McCloskey, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne. J. Passmore,
Australian National University, Canberra. A. Quinton, Trinity College, Oxford.
Nathan Rotenstreich, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Franco Spisani,
Centro Superiore di Logica e, Scienze Comparate, Bologna. S.J. Surma,
Auckland University, New Zealand. R. Ziedins, Waikato University, New
Zealand.
For a list of volumes in this series see final page of the volume.
A. Zvie
Bar~On
The Categories and the
Principle of Coherence
Whitehead's Theory of Categories in
Historical Perspective
1987 MARTIN US NIJHOFF PUBLISHERS
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bar-On, Abraham Zvie.
The categories and principle of coherence.
(Nijhoff international philosophy series
v. 26)
Translated from the Hebrew.
Rev. ed. of: Yesode metsi'ut ¥e-ha~arah. 1967.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Categories (Philosophy)--History. 2. Whitehead,
Alfred North, 1861-1947--Contributions in concept of
philosophical categories. I Bar-On, Abraham Zvie.
Yesode metsifut ve-hakarah. II. Title. III. Series.
ill
BD33l.B267 1987' 86-33164
ISBN-13:978-94-01O-8091-0 e-ISBN-13:978-94-009-3557-0
DOl: 10.1007/978-94-009-3557-0
Copyright
© 1987 by Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the publishers,
Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, P.O. Box 163, 3300 AD Dordrecht,
The Netherlands.
Preface
The general topic of this book is the theory of categories, its
sources, meaning and development. The inquiry can be seen to
proceed on two levels. On one, the history of the theory is traced
from its alleged genesis in Aristotle, through its main subsequent
stages of Kant and Hegel, up to a kind of consummation in two of
its prominent twentieth century adherents, Alfred North White
head and Nicolai Hartmann. Special attention has been paid to
that aspect of the Hegelian conception of the categorial analysis
from which the principle of coherence emerged.
On the second, deeper level, however, everything starts with
Whitehead's metaphysical system, the central part of which con
sists of a fascinating, though highly intricate, web of categorial
notions and propositions. The historical perspective becomes a
means for untangling that web.
I am indebted to a number of people for advice, comment and
criticism of various parts of this book. My greatest thanks go to my
teachers and colleagues Nathan Rotenstreich, Nathan Spiegel,
Yaakov Fleischman, as well as to the late Shmuel Hugo Bergman
and Pepita Haezrachi.
An earlier, Hebrew version of this book was published in 1967 by
the Bialik Institute of Jerusalem. I am grateful to Mr Yehoshua
Perel, Mr Arnold Schwartz and to my wife Varda for their
cooperation in rendering the extensively revised text of the book
into readable English. I also owe great appreciation to Miss Liat
Dawe for an accurate and painstaking word-processing of the text.
My acknowledgements go to the Bialik Institute for the kind
permission to publish the book in this English version, as well as to
the following publishers who kindly permitted me to quote from
v
publications under their copyright: Allen & Unwin, London;
Anton Hain Meisenheim Vg , Koenigstein im Taunus; Cambridge
University Press; Macmillan, New York; Oxford University Press;
Philosophical Library, New York; Princeton University Press;
Penguin Books; The University of Chicago Press; Walter de
Gruyter, Berlin.
The Author
VI
Table of Contents
Preface v
Introduction 1
Extensive Summary of the Exposition 5
Chapter I. Aristotle and the Beginning of the Doctrine of
Categories 19
1. Predication, Inherence and Kinds of Being 19
2. The Definition of 'Category' in its Aristotelian Sense 25
3. Aristotelian Table of Categories 27
4. Quality 28
5. Quantity 32
6. Relation 36
7. Substance 43
Chapter II. The Kantian Development: Systematization 57
1. Criticism of Aristotle's Approach 57
2. The Relation between Subject and Object 61
3. 'The Supreme Principle of Human Knowledge' 65
4. The Table of Categories vs the Table of Judgements 71
5. The Derivability of the Categories 74
6. The Two Logics 77
Chapter III. The Hegelian Stage: Speculation and Coherence 83
1. The Absence of Systematization 84
2. The Criticism Qualified, or What Did Hegel Received from
Kant 88
vii
3. Sensation, Understanding and Reason 95
4. The Hegelian Scheme of Categories 106
5. Limitations and a Broadened Context 116
Chapter IV. The Non-Speculative Way: Nicolai Hartmann 121
1. The Basic Ontic Scheme 122
2. The Moments of Being: Dasein and Sosein 128
3. The Main Problem: How to Explain the Unity of the
Universe 132
4. The Categorial An;;tlysis, Its Nature and Stages 140
5. Hartmann's Version of Coherence 144
Chapter V. Whitehead's Categorial Scheme: the Framework 151
1. 'A Coherent, Logical and Necessary System' 151
2. Whitehead's Version of the Principle of Coherence 156
3. Contradictory Trends 167
4. Whitehead's Categorial Scheme 169
Chapter VI. Whitehead's Categorial Scheme: the
Implementation 177
1. 'The Ultimate' and the 'Modes of Existence' 178
2. The Category of the Actual Entity 185
3. The Principles of Process 194
4. The Principle of Relativity 198
5. The Ontological Principle 201
6. The Subjectivist Principle 206
7. Whitehead's Formulation of the 'Categorial Laws' 216
Notes 227
References 241
Index 244
viii
Introduction
What prompted me to investigate the doctrine of Categories were
certain questions which arose in the wake of my study of the
philosophical system of Alfred North Whitehead. Process and
Reality, the book which Whitehead, as well as his commentators,
considered to contain the main ideas of his philosophy in their
mature form, has a very singular structure. It begins with a set of
concepts and propositions, called by Whitehead 'the' Categorial
Scheme.' The rest of the book contains what he called 'the
preparation for the understanding' of the Scheme, 'explaining it,'
and 'explicating an experience of the world' in the light of the
statements included in it.
The reaction of a reader to Whitehead's suggestion regarding the
relationship between the Categorial Scheme and the discussion that
follows it could be that it would perhaps be wiser to keep clear of
the Scheme at first, and study the remaining chapters of the book.
After becoming familiar with its ideas, time would arrive to go back
and analyse the Scheme. If we are to judge by their writings until
quite recently, Whitehead's commentators have indeed acted this
way. Most of them, however, did not reach the final stage, and
never presented to us a thorough analysis of the Whiteheadian
Categorial Scheme. Moreover, it is doubtful whether they under
stood properly Whitehead's very intention in formulating his
Categorial Scheme, or fathomed the concept of Category as used
by Whitehead in his treatise.
Admittedly, there are some allusions, both in the Scheme and in
the discussion, concerning the connection between this attempt to
crown a philosophical system with a set of Categories and other
comparable attempts in the course of the history of philosophy.
Here and there, some concept or proposition contained in the
Introduction 1
Scheme is confronted with Categories of Aristotle and Kant. Once
Whitehead even defines these concepts and propositions as the
'Hierarchy of Categories of Feeling,' which appears parallel to the
Hierarchy of Categories of the Concept, found in Hegel's Logic.
Another important indication of such connection is the fact that, in
the division of the Scheme, the term 'Categories of Existence' is
employed, this term being borrowed from the Doctrine of Categor
ies in its historical perspective.
These, however, are only allusions. Whitehead does not take the
trouble to explain his stand towards the tradition of the Doctrine of
Categories. He does not reveal his opinion about the classical
systems of Categories and the ways in which they were constructed.
This is noteworthy, because such an attitude to the philosophical
tradition is not characteristic of Whitehead. The opposite is the case
when we look at the principles and ideas included in the Scheme:
they are almost always discussed with reference to the great ideas of
the Western philosophical tradition. Indeed, there are not many
philosophical concepts which Whitehead tried to analyse in com
plete detachment from the philosophical tradition.
I was left with the impression that the lack of an explanation for
this unusual treatment given to the Categories could be a serious
obstacle to a proper understanding of the Categorial Scheme in its
original formulation, and hence of Whitehead's philosophical
teaching as a whole.
At this stage, the subject still appeared to me interpretative: I
searched for a key to a proper understanding of Whitehead's
Categorial Scheme. The search proceeded in two directions. Firstly
I looked for a historical background of the Doctrine of Categories,
and secondly I went after the contemporary attempts to place a
Scheme of Categories in the center of one's philosophical system.
My first task was thus to perceive the Doctrine of Categories in
its historical perspective, and to trace the transformation of this
doctrine in the Western philosophical tradition. On this point I
followed Trendelenburg, the most important historian of the
problem of the Categories. Trendelenburg argues that there were
three decisive turning points in the development of the Doctrine of
Categories: Aristotle, Kant and Hegel. I adopted this proposition
as the cornerstone for construing the historical perspective of the
Doctrine of Categories.
2 Introduction