Elizabeth on Attributal Predication: Exclusive and Non-exclusive Dualism
摘要
In this chapter, I argue that—despite widespread belief—the role of Elizabeth of BohemiaElizabeth of Bohemia in the development and discussion of Early Modern theories of predication and substantialitySubstantiality was not exclusively dependent on her epistolary conversation with DescartesDescartes. Instead, I show how Elizabeth displays an original and genuinely innovative theory of predication, by collocating her discussion of the notion of principal attributes and modifications within the context of a general abandonment of the Medieval conception of accidents. In particular, I place Elizabeth in dialogue with the Port-Royal logicLogic of Arnauld and Nicole, identifying her as an original contributor to the debate regarding the nature of attributal predication. Elizabeth’s interest in the subject involved an examination of the connection between a substanceSubstance and its principal attributes, and specifically of the two key concepts of inseparabilityInseparability and inherence.