Handbook of the History of Logic: - Fordham University Faculty

336 Henrik Lagerlund
On Supposition
Maximal proposition: What belongs to one of the coordinates,
also belongs to the other.
(28) Differentia: From division.
Maximal proposition: If two things divide something between
them, then if one is posited, the other is denied.
The properties of terms, as this part of logic was called, contains discussion about
signification, supposition, copulation, appellation, ampliation, restriction and distribution.
To draw the distinction between signification and supposition, Peter
notes that some things are said with construction, like ‘A human being runs’ or
‘a white human being’, and things said without construction, like ‘animal’. Unconstructed
terms have signification and they signify something in one of the ten
categories.
A terms signification is, in Peter’s words, the conventional representation of
some thing by a vocal expression. Sherwood writes that signification is a presentation
of the form of something to the intellect. Signification is hence when we take
something, typically a word (a sound or an inscription), to stand in for something
else. That word will then conventionally represent the thing or it will function as
a presentation of that thing to a mind. It will convey meaning by being taken as
a sign for something else. 92 Things in the world are either singular or universal,
according to Peter, and hence a term that does not signify a particular or universal
thing does not signify at all. These are terms like ‘every’, ‘not’ etc.
There are two sorts of signification either of a substantive thing or by an adjective
or verb. Terms like ‘human being’ that signify a substantive thing have
supposition while terms like ‘white’ or ‘run’, that is, adjectives or verbs, are said
to couple. Copulation plays no role at all in their discussions.
Supposition is defined by Peter as the acceptance of a substantive term for
something. Signification is prior to supposition in the sense that signification is
what a term has all by itself, while supposition is what a term has in a composition.
The division of supposition differs a little bit between the textbook authors,
but it is foremost only a difference in terminology. I will follow Peter of Spain’s
terminology.
Supposition is either common or discrete, according to Peter. Common supposition
is what common terms like ‘human being’ have, while discrete supposition is
what discrete terms like ‘Socrates’ and ‘this human being’ have. Common supposition
is divided into natural and accidental supposition. The natural supposition
of ‘human being’ includes all it is naturally apt to stand for, that is, all humans
that has been, are and will be. Accidental supposition is the supposition a term
like ‘human being’ has in conjunction with something else like ‘a human being
92 This is the origin of the contemporary notion of a mental representation, which can be traced
from the twelfth century logical tradition, into early modern philosophy. See [Lagerlund, 2007].