SIMPLE APPREHENSION:

IDEAS AND TERMS

SIMPLE APPREHENSION

🠶 the first mental operation, is the process of grasping or abstracting the

essence of a thing without affirming or denying about it (apprehension
because it lays hold of the thing mentally: simple because the intellect merely
takes the thing in without any affirmation or denial about it.)

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 Nihilest in intellectu quod non priusfueritin sensu

🠶 There is nothing in the intellect which does not pass first through
the senses

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Idea
🠶 Ideas begin with sense data. The sense organs accept a number of impressions
from a great number of stimuli coming from the external world. An image then is
produced; a conscious experience in which the conditions of the external world
are somehow reflected. Our images refer to the sensible aspects of reality, and
by abstraction performed by the intellect, the essential elements are separated
from the sensible qualities, thereby forming an idea of the thing sensed.

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An IDEA…

🠶 is abstract. It focuses on nature or essence and leaves aside the concrete,

sensible characteristics of the thing.
🠶 is a mental sign whereby we grasp the essence of a thing (found in the mind,
not in things).

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Term
🠶 Since ideas are abstract, there should be a way to
express them concretely.
🠶 It is the verbal manifestation of an idea.

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A TERM…
🠶 is a sensible conventional sign expressive of an idea.
Sensible - Perceived through the senses (written, spoken, touched)
Sign - Something that leads to the knowledge of something else.
Conventional sign - In contrast with Natural sign (the object it represents is
given by nature itself), it is set by people; a result of a common agreement
among men.
Expressive of an idea - An idea is abstract, made concrete through the use
of a term. Through them we are able articulate or verbalize our thoughts.

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 LIZA SOBERANO

SIMPLE
APPREHENSIO
N
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COMPREHENSION AND EXTENSION…

🠶 the logical properties of a term

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 Comprehension Extension
🠶 refers to the group of 🠶 refers to a set of things to
characteristics essential to a which the term refers.
term.

E.g. Juan de la Cruz

E.g. Rational animal

MAN

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Comprehension and Extension are inversely proportional (as the
comprehension increases, the extension decreases, vice versa)

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Activity

🠶Arrange the following from greater

comprehension to lesser extension:
1. Pedro, Filipino, Man, Asian, Brown race

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Classification of terms

1. According to Comprehension

Concrete – expresses something that has attributes that can be perceived

through the senses. Ex. computer
Abstract – expresses something separated from any single object. It is a pure
idea expressed in words. Ex. happiness

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Classification of terms
2. According to Extension

Singular – represents a single person, event or object only. Ex. My father, Mr.
Lee
Universal – represents an individual member of the class and the class as a
whole. Ex. Book, student, girl
Particular- represents only a part of the universal whether it is definite or
indefinite. Ex. Many pages, few customers
Collective – represents a number of things constituting a unit-group or whole.
Ex. Family, choir, team
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Classification of terms

3. According to Origin

Immediate – (intuitive) formed from the direct perception of things. Ex. Chair,
whistle, spicy
Mediate – (abstractive) formed through the mediation of other ideas. Ex. God,
soul, Unicorn, Rationalism

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Classification of terms
4. According to Relation
Compatible – terms that can co-exist in a subject. Ex. Hot and spicy
Incompatible – terms that cannot coexist in a subject. They exclude each other.
4 kinds:
a. Contradictory – terms that are mutually exclusive such that the affirmation of one is the denial of the
other. Between these two terms, there is no middle ground. Ex. Same-different, dead-alive
b. Contrary – terms that express extremes belonging to the same class. There is a middle ground. Ex.
Rich-poor (middle class), intelligent-dumb (average minded), cheap-expensive (reasonably-priced)
c. Privative – two opposed ideas, one of which expresses perfection and the other its lack that ought to be
possessed. Ex. Sight-blindness, sane-insane
d. Correlative – two opposed terms that bear mutual relation to one another such that one cannot be
understood without the other. They imply each other because one depends on the other. Ex. Cause-effect,
whole-part, parent-child, husband-wife

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Classification of terms
5. According to Meaning

Univocal – a term that carries only one meaning in its several uses. Ex. Human
Equivocal – a term that carries different meanings in different uses.
a. Only in pronunciation Ex. Marry and merry, witch and which
b. In pronunciation and spelling Ex. march, may, yoke
Analogous – a term that carries meaning in some ways the same and in other ways different.
Ex. dead end, Good friday

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Classification of Terms

6. According to Quality

Positive in form, positive in meaning Ex. joy, victory

Positive in form, negative in meaning Ex. crazy, idiot, death
Negative in form, negative in meaning Ex. immature, unprepared
Negative in form, positive in meaning Ex. selfless, painless, unrivalled

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Classification of Terms

7. According to Object

Real – expresses something that has existential actuality, whether positive or

negative Ex. Salvation, pain, telephone
Logical – used as a conceptual device to facilitate learning Ex. subject, species,
genus
Imaginary – has no correspondence with reality and is merely a fabrication of
the mind. Ex. Iron man, talking tree, flying carpet

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Definition
• To define something is to explain its meaning.
•  Definition – Definiendum (term to be defined)
–Definiens (defining term)

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TYPES OF DEFINITION
 
-two main divisions: the nominal and real.

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NOMINAL DEFINITION - Expresses what the name means, not what the thing is.

• Ostensive – (demonstrative) showing or pointing at the object.

- often used when the term is difficult to define verbally.
- non-linguistic method
Ex. What is a peso? It is ₱. (or show a 1 peso coin)
• Synonymous – gives the same connotation of the term.
Ex. prima facie – at first sight. Ampon – Adopted
• Etymological – gives the origin of the word.
Ex.Philosophy – derived from Greek words Philia & Sophia, love of wisdom

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REAL DEFINITION
Tells us what the thing is, not just what the word means. All real definitions are nominal definitions but
not vice versa.

• Essential – definition that is constructed

by genus and specific difference.
Ex. Man is a rational animal.
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• Non-essential – gives the more notable characteristics of a
thing.
• Distinctive – gives natural characteristics that follows necessarily
from the essence of a thing.
Ex. Man is capable of distinguishing what is morally right and
wrong.
• Genetic – furnishes mode of origin or how something is produced.
Ex. Circle is formed by revolving a line in plane reaching one
of its ends.
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• Causal – describes a thing by its efficient and final
cause.
• Efficient cause – the producer
Ex. Facebook was invented by Mark Zuckerberg
• Final Cause – Purpose or end of a thing
Ex. Sedative is a drug for inducing sleep

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•Accidental definition – explains a thing by
giving contingent characteristics.
Ex. The typhoon is tremendously strong.

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RULES FOR GOOD DEFINITION

Definitions can go wrong at times. To avoid committing bad definitions here are the rules that govern the construction of good
definitions.

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1. A definition should avoid vagueness and ambiguity
-Highly theoretical and figurative definition must be avoided.
-Must be presented in a language an average person is
likely to understand.
Obscure definitions
Ex. Net is the reticulated fabric decussated at regular intervals
with interstices and ntersections.
Figurative definitions
Ex. Love is a sweet misery.

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2.Definition should not be circular.
-Must not use the defined as part of the
definition.
Circular definitions
Ex. A wall clock is a clock on the wall.

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3.Definition should not be needlessly
negative.
-Definition should state what a thing is, not
what a thing is not.
Negative definitions
Ex. A boy is not a girl.

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4.Definition must be precise.
-The definiendum and the definiens must be
interchangeable.
Broad definitions
Ex. A bachelor is an unmarried male.
Narrow definitions
Ex. A woman is a married mother.

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