Universa Philosophia

I explain: the proposition Peter is white is a certain whole and is distinct from each of its parts; with respect to itself, it is not a part of itself, nor is it a term or subject. Yet that entire proposition is a part and subject of this hypothetical proposition: Peter is white is a proposition. Here, then, an entire proposition is part of another and its subject. Hence it is clear that a term is always distinct from the whole proposition of which it is a term, and that the proposition is not a term of itself. This does not confuse the matter; it clarifies the nature of a term. The reason is that the intellect is reflexive: it can affirm something of an entire proposition and make it the subject of another. Therefore I clearly turn the argument back against Soto. A categorical proposition is a part and constitutive subject of a hypothetical proposition, just as human being is a subject and constitutive part of a categorical proposition; and something is said of the entire categorical proposition in the hypothetical, just as something is said of a human being in the categorical. Therefore they agree in the character of a term. Moreover, Soto’s definition applies to the union, which I said in § 6 is not a logical term.