| Disambiguation |
In Ethica, posse, potest is used in 2 senses, dealt with on
2
different notes pages. 1. posse, potentia, potestas. Being with the range of some thing's power or ability. See: pp1d01 posse, potentia, potestas 2. posse, possibile. Being a logical possibility. Dealt with on this page. |
| Meaning | In Ethica, when a proposition A
follows (sequit) from the definitions and axioms, A is
necessary and NOT-A
is impossible. When neither A nor NOT-A
follow (sequunt) from the definitions and axioms, A is
possible but not
necessary or
[mng eqv]
contingent). (Im)possibility
in this sense 2 is not related to
(im)potentia (sense 1).
Posse Potentia (sense 1) presupposes possibility (sense 2): "thing A is capable to something" means the same as "it is possible for that thing to do it". However, at loci NOT dealing with actions or operations, "potest" can NOT mean potentia, thus at such loci "potest" definitely refers to possibility. But "concipere", "intelligere" are actions, and yet "non posse concipere/intelligere" surely is NO impotentia: the fresh insight into this "can not" even increases the adequacy of your knowledge, hence your potentia, thus at such loci "potest" definitely refers to an impossibility. |
| Mantras [what is] | "non posse [potest etc.]..concipi" ("intelligi").
Impossibility to conceive (reductio at absurdum)
is a frequently employed tool of proof. nec esse nec concipi potest non possunt dici (concipe,) si fieri potest: Ethica's introductory mantra to a reductio ad absurdum: the assumption the reader is asked to conceive "si fieri potest" is demonstrated to be impossible in the sense of: inconceivable within Ethica's deductive structure. |
| Related concepts | contingens(^necessario) , pp1d01 concipere, conceptus.html |
| Occurrence | [geomap] Preoccurs from {1d01} |
| NOT linked: | posse where used in the sense of pp1d01 posse, potentia, potestas |
| {1d01 causa sui} ...densely occurring mantra non potest concipi already in first definition... | |
| ... By that which is self-caused, I mean that of which the essence involves existence, or that of which the nature is only conceivable as existent. | ... Per causam sui intelligo id cujus essentia involvit existentiam sive [mng-eqv] id cujus natura non potest concipi nisi existens. |
| {1p11 Deus sive substantia necessario existit} ...first occurrence of reductio ad absurdum-mantra concipe, si fieri potest ... | |
|
...If this be denied, conceive, if possible,... ...this ... is absurd. Therefore ... |
...Si negas,
concipe si fieri
potest... ... hoc ... est absurdum: ergo ... |
| {5p17 Deus expers est passionum} ...God (= natura-sense 2 = substance) cannot...obviously not a case of impotentia (posse sense 1) but of logical impossibility: posse sense 2... | |
| ....God cannot pass either to a greater or to a lesser perfection... | ...Deus neque ad majorem neque ad minorem perfectionem transire potest... |
| Equivalence claims involving posse, possibile | ||
| {1d01} [notes] | 1. cause of itself 2. that of which the essence involves existence 3. that of which the nature cannot be understood except in state of existence | 1. causa sui 2. [id cujus] essentia involvit existentiam 3. id cujus natura non potest concipi nisi existens. |
| {1a05} | [About things] 1. which have nothing in common 2. [which] cannot be understood, the one by means of the other 3. the conception of one does not involve the conception of the other. | [De reis] 1. Quae ihil commune cum se invicem habent 2. per se invicem intelligi non possunt 3. conceptus unius alterius conceptum non involvit. |
| {1p06} | 1. one can(not) be the
cause of the other 2. the other can(not) be produced by [it] |
1. una alterius causa esse (nequit) 2. ab alia (non) potest produci |
| {1p33} | 1. If things could have been of a different nature 2. [If things] have been conditioned to act in a different way, so that the order of nature would have been different, | 1. [si res] alterius naturae potuissent esse 2. [si res] alio modo ad operandum determinari ut naturae ordo alius esset |
| {2d02} [notes] | 1. the essence of a thing 2. that, which being given, the thing is necessarily given also, and, which being removed, the thing is necessarily removed 3. that without which the thing, and which itself without the thing, can neither be nor be conceived. | 1. essentiam alicujus rei 2. quo dato res necessario ponitur et quo sublato res necessario tollitur 3. id sine quo res et vice versa id quod sine re nec esse nec concipi potest. |
| {2p12} | 1. Whatsoever comes to pass in the object of the idea, which constitutes the human mind, must be perceived by the human mind, or there will necessarily be an idea in the human mind of the said occurrence. 2. if the object of the idea constituting the human mind be a body, nothing can take place in that body without being perceived by the mind. | 1. uicquid in objecto ideae humanam mentem constituentis contingit, id ab humana mente debet percipi sive [mng eqv] ejus rei dabitur in mente necessario idea 2. si objectum ideae humanam mentem constituentis sit corpus, nihil in eo corpore poterit contingere quod a mente non percipiatur. |
| {2p48} | [About the mind] 1. the cause of their actions can not be free 2. it cannot have the absolute faculty of willing and not willing | [De menti] 1. suarum actionum non potest esse causa libera 2. absolutam facultatem volendi et nolendi habere non potest |
| {3d01} [notes] | [About causes] 1. adequate 2. through which its effect can be clearly and distinctly perceived. | [De causis] 1. adaequatam 2. cujus effectus potest clare et distincte per eandem percipi. |
| {3d02} [notes] | 1. acting 2. anything takes place, either within us or externally to us, whereof we are the adequate cause 3. through our nature something takes place within us or externally to us, which can through our nature alone be clearly and distinctly understood. | 1. agere 2. aliquid in nobis aut [excl exh] extra nos fit cujus adaequata sumus causa 3. ex nostra natura aliquid in nobis aut [excl exh] extra nos sequitur quod per eandem solam potest clare et distincte intelligi. |
| {4d04} [notes] | 1. possible [particular things] 2.[particular things] which, while regarding the causes whereby they must be produced, we know not, whether such causes be determined for producing them. | 1. [res singulares] possibiles 2. [res singulares] quatenus dum ad causas ex quibus produci debent, attendimus, nescimus an ipsae determinatae sint ad easdem producendum. |
|
{4d08}
[notes defective] |
1. virtue 2. power 2. a man's nature or essence, in so far as it has the power of effecting what can only be understood by the laws of that nature. | 1. virtutem 2. potentiam 3. ipsa hominis essentia seu [mng eqv] natura quatenus potestatem habet quaedam efficiendi quae per solas ipsius naturae leges possunt intelligi. |