Universa Philosophia

Some define a term as a spoken expression signifying by convention, from which a simple proposition is formed. But this is not a good definition. First, it does not apply to everything defined: there are simple mental and written propositions that have terms which are not spoken expressions, so the definition does not apply to everything defined. You may say that it applies to them by analogy. But a whole species does not have complete likeness to another, since each has opposed differences; and it is wrong to define things taken universally by a single species. For if you were to say, An animal is a living, sentient, rational being, you would speak ineptly, because you would define a genus by a species contained under it, which is a defect: a definition must apply to all the subordinate things contained under what is defined, as the definition of animal must apply to human beings and lions. But this definition of term is general and does not apply to every term contained under the common notion of term; therefore it is bad. It is also refuted because many propositions contain a term that does not signify by convention, and so the definition is bad. I prove the premise: this is a proposition, “blytiri” is not a spoken expression signifying by convention, and yet ly blytiri is a term and does not signify by convention. Therefore.