The Nature of The Concept of Being in Relation to Quality

The Indivisible Fabric: Understanding Being in Relation to Quality

Summary: The concepts of Being and Quality are foundational to Metaphysics, representing not merely distinct philosophical categories but an intricate, interdependent relation. While Being refers to the fundamental fact of existence – that something is – Quality describes the intrinsic characteristics, properties, or attributes that define what that something is like. This article explores how these two concepts are inextricably linked, demonstrating that Being provides the substratum for Quality to manifest, and Quality in turn reveals the nature and particularity of Being, drawing insights from the rich tradition of Western philosophy.

Unpacking the Fundamental Duo: An Introduction

As Daniel Fletcher, one is often drawn to the elemental questions, the bedrock upon which all other philosophical inquiries rest. Few are more fundamental than the intertwined notions of Being and Quality. To say something is (its Being) immediately invites the subsequent question: what is it, and how is it? The answers to these latter queries delve into its Qualities. This isn't a mere semantic exercise; it's an exploration into the very structure of reality itself.

Consider a simple object: a red apple. Its Being is its existence as an apple. Its Quality is its redness, its crispness, its sweetness. Can an apple be without any qualities? Can "redness" exist without something being red? This fundamental interdependence forms the core of our discussion.

(Image: A classical Greek bust, perhaps of Aristotle or Plato, with a subtle, abstract overlay of interconnected lines and nodes radiating outwards, symbolizing the complex web of metaphysical relations between fundamental concepts like Being and Quality.)

I. The Metaphysics of Being: The Ground of All That Is

Being is arguably the most primary concept in Metaphysics. It's the sheer fact of existing, the "that-ness" of things. From Parmenides, who insisted on the unchanging, singular nature of Being, to Aristotle's meticulous categorization of ousia (substance) as primary Being, philosophers have grappled with its elusive nature.

For Aristotle, as explored in the Great Books of the Western World, Being is not a genus like "animal" or "plant." Instead, it is spoken of in many ways, with "substance" being the primary sense. A substance is in itself, while other things are in relation to it. This distinction is crucial for understanding Quality.

Substance: The fundamental entity that exists independently (e.g., a specific person, a particular tree).
Accidents: Properties that inhere in a substance but are not essential to its Being (e.g., being tall, being green).

The question of Being isn't just about what exists, but how it exists – whether as a concrete particular, an abstract concept, or a divine entity.

II. The Nature of Quality: Defining Characteristics and Attributes

If Being answers "that it is," then Quality answers "what kind of thing it is" or "how it is." Quality refers to the attributes, properties, characteristics, or features that describe a thing. These can be:

Sensory Qualities: Red, hot, sweet, loud.
Physical Qualities: Hard, heavy, smooth, large.
Mental/Moral Qualities: Intelligent, virtuous, courageous, deceptive.
Relational Qualities: Being a parent, being taller than.

Aristotle, in his Categories, identifies Quality (ποιοτης, poiotes) as one of the ten fundamental ways something can be predicated of a subject. He defines it as "that by virtue of which things are said to be such and such." It's not the thing itself, but what makes the thing distinct and identifiable.

Aristotle's Categories (Briefly):

Category	Description	Example
Substance	What a thing primarily is	Man, Horse
Quantity	How much or how many	Two cubits long, three
Quality	What kind of thing it is	White, Learned, Hot
Relation	How it stands in relation to something else	Double, Half, Larger
Where	Its position in space	In the market-place, In the Lyceum
When	Its position in time	Yesterday, Last year
Position	Its posture or arrangement	Lying, Sitting
Having	What it possesses	Has shoes on, Is armed
Action	What it is doing	To cut, To burn
Affection	What is being done to it	To be cut, To be burned

As you can see, Quality is distinct yet deeply connected to Substance (Being) and other categories.

III. The Intricate Relation: How Being and Quality Intersect

The relation between Being and Quality is one of profound interdependence, a constant dance between the existent and its characteristics.

Quality as a Predicate of Being: We understand what something is (its Being) largely through its Qualities. A tree is, and we know it as a tree because it possesses qualities like "having bark," "having leaves," "being rooted." Without these qualities, our conception of its Being as a tree would dissolve.
Being as the Substratum for Quality: Conversely, Qualities do not float freely in a vacuum. Redness doesn't simply exist; something is red. Virtue doesn't exist independently; a person is virtuous. Being provides the concrete subject, the substratum, in which Qualities can inhere and manifest. This is a core tenet of Aristotelian Metaphysics.
The Problem of Change and Persistence: How do qualities change while the underlying Being persists? A green leaf turns yellow. The Being of the leaf remains, but its Quality of color alters. This highlights that many qualities are accidental – they can change without altering the essential Being of the thing. However, some qualities might be considered essential to a thing's Being; if a human being loses their capacity for rationality (an essential quality), does their Being as a human remain intact in the same way? This leads to fascinating philosophical debates on identity and essence.

IV. Historical Perspectives from the Great Books

The philosophical tradition, particularly within the Great Books of the Western World, offers rich insights into this fundamental relation.

Plato (e.g., Republic, Phaedo): For Plato, true Being resides in the eternal, unchanging Forms (e.g., the Form of Beauty, the Form of Justice). Particular objects in the sensible world (a beautiful person, a just act) merely participate in these perfect Forms. Here, the Qualities of beauty or justice are perfect Beings themselves, and individual things derive their qualities by partaking in these ultimate realities. The relation is one of participation: particulars have qualities because they participate in a Form that is that quality.
Aristotle (e.g., Categories, Metaphysics): As discussed, Aristotle grounds Being in individual substances. Qualities are accidents that inhere in these substances. His approach is more empirical and less transcendent than Plato's. The relation is one of inherence: qualities exist in a substance. A specific apple is red, and its redness is an attribute of that particular apple.
Thomas Aquinas (e.g., Summa Theologica): Building on Aristotle and infused with Christian theology, Aquinas posits God as pure Being (ipsum esse subsistens – subsistent Being itself). In God, Being and Quality (e.g., goodness, truth, beauty) are identical. For created beings, however, Being is distinct from their essence (what they are) and their qualities. Their Being is received, and their qualities are derived, ultimately pointing back to the perfect Being of God.
Immanuel Kant (e.g., Critique of Pure Reason): Kant shifts the focus from Metaphysics as an objective description of reality to an analysis of the conditions for human knowledge. Being itself, as the "thing-in-itself" (noumenon), is unknowable. We only experience phenomena, which are structured by our minds using categories of understanding, one of which is Quality. For Kant, Qualities are not just out there; our minds actively organize sensory data into coherent objects possessing qualities. The relation becomes one of conceptual structuring: our minds impose the concept of quality to make sense of our experience of Being.

V. Metaphysical Implications and Enduring Questions

The dynamic interplay between Being and Quality raises profound questions that continue to animate philosophical inquiry:

Does Quality define Being, or does Being allow for Quality? This is the chicken-and-egg question. Is something a "human" because it possesses human qualities, or do human qualities exist because there is a human Being?
The Reality of Universals: Do qualities like "redness" or "justice" exist independently of any particular red thing or just act, or do they only exist in the particulars? This is the ancient problem of universals, central to the Plato vs. Aristotle debate.
The Nature of Identity: How do the qualities of a thing contribute to its identity over time? If all the qualities of a ship are replaced, is it still the same ship? (The Ship of Theseus paradox).
The Limits of Perception: Can we ever truly grasp the Being of something directly, or do we always apprehend it through its Qualities? And if so, how reliable is our perception of these qualities?

VI. Conclusion: A Dynamic Interdependence

In the grand tapestry of Metaphysics, Being and Quality are not isolated threads but interwoven strands, each giving meaning and definition to the other. Being provides the existential canvas upon which Qualities paint the rich, diverse picture of reality. Conversely, Qualities are the very language through which we apprehend, categorize, and understand the myriad forms of Being.

As Daniel Fletcher, I find this relation to be one of the most compelling and enduring puzzles. It forces us to confront the deepest questions about existence itself: what it means to be, and what it means for something to be what it is. To understand one without the other is to grasp only half of reality's profound truth. The journey through the Great Books of the Western World demonstrates that this fundamental interdependence remains a fertile ground for philosophical exploration, challenging us to look beyond mere existence to the very essence and character of all that is.

YouTube Video Suggestions:

📹 Related Video: ARISTOTLE ON: The Nicomachean Ethics

Video by: The School of Life

💡 Want different videos? Search YouTube for: ""Aristotle's Metaphysics Categories Explained""

📹 Related Video: PLATO ON: The Allegory of the Cave