Abstract

Anton views the Aristotelian contraries as "principles of understanding, generic concepts, employed in the analysis of any determinate process whatever." He argues that the principle of contrariety simply renders process intelligible and is not, as it was for many of Aristotle's predecessors, a causal principle. In the course of his argument the author shows the use of this "formal demand for determinateness" in widely diverse areas, proceeding from the categories to ontology and language, and through psychology to ethics.--R. P.