Andrea Buongiorno: 'Ontological multivocity and ontological primacy in Metaphysics Z1'
In Metaphysics Z1 [1028a10-31], Aristotle advances two main theses. The first is that being is said in many ways. Call this thesis ‘OM’ (‘Ontological Multivocity’). The second is that substances alone are in an unqualified way, and therefore are primarily. Call this thesis ‘OP’ (‘Ontological Primacy’). It is far from obvious how either thesis should be interpreted, or how they should be understood to relate to one another. My talk will address both questions. First, I aim to defend what I take to be a radically new reading of OM, which has predicative underpinnings. Secondly, I aim to defend and possibly expand upon a recent reading of Z1, which interprets OP along essentialist, as opposed to merely existential, lines. Thus interpreted, these two theses seem to be mutually connected via the insight that, of all things, substances alone qualify as genuine subjects of predication.
