Introduction to Definitional
Arguments
Scott Hale
Englsih 1213
Importance of
Language...
Primary means of making sense of the
World...
 William James: “the buzz and
confusion” are converted into
systematic classes and relationships,
represented by verbal signs.
 The act of defining depends upon our
perception of a certain set of attributes.

Through Definitions...
We are set free from a world of
immediate particulars (Plato’s Cave)
 Liberated into a shareable world of
concepts/forms
 Rock, Love, Life, Death,...

But...
Defining isn’t so simple...
 Words allow us to share concepts, but
don’t ensure mutual understanding.
 Non-natural, arbitrary system created by
social interaction.
 Because it is social, it’s also imperfect.

Dictionaries...
Human attempts to catalogue a
language...
 Impossible undertaking
 Limited--provides only one type of
definition

Aristotelian Definitions
Two main parts:
 Genus--class/category
 Differentiae--discrimination among other
items in the same genus
 Hammer--A tool consisting of a solid
head, usually metal, set crosswise on a
handle, sometimes wood, used for
driving nails.

Differentiae...

Four types:
– Material--what it’s made of.
– Form--what it looks like, its appearance.
– Function--what it does, what it’s used for.
– Origin--where it comes from.

Hammer--A tool consisting of a solid
head, usually metal, set crosswise on a
handle, sometimes wood, used for
driving nails.
Another example...
Ambergris--An opaque, ash-colored,
morbid secretion, of the sperm whale
intestine, fragrant when heated, used in
perfumery.
 Form
 Function
 Origin

Abstract terms...
Courage--The quality of mind or spirit
that enables a person to face difficulty,
danger, pain, etc. with firmness and
without fear.
 Genus? Differentiae?
 Function…

Problems with Dictionaries…
Aristotelian definitions limited to only
common meanings.
 Can’t account for particulars--shades
and nuances of meaning.
 Incapable of accounting for
degree/extent

Example…
Dr. Samuel Johnson’s first Dictionary of
the English Language
 Network…
 “Anything reticulated or decussated, at
equal distances, with interstices
between the intersections.”
 Often, Aristotelian definitions use words
more unusual than the one being
defined...

3 rules for developing
definitions:…

The genus isn’t too broad or too narrow
– A boat is an object that floats/a wooden
craft
The differentiae should clearly
distinguish the defined item from other
items in the same genus
 Neither the genus nor differentiae
should: use unusual words or words
derived from the one being defined

Examples for Discussion…
A table is an article of furniture with four
legs and a flat surface.
 A school is a place where one or more
teachers provide instruction in various
subjects.
 A bridge is a roadway extending over a
body of water.
 Justice is a system of laws in which all
people are treated equitably.
