as a noun - an attribute is a reification of a defining
characteristic (a perceived distinction) of a thing
('thing' here - 'a non-described entity') - and all in
all rather Platonic
is the fact that different objects (things) can be picked
out by the same description (attribute) a problem? the red
coat - the red apple - are we in using 'red' here -
committed to 'redness' in some sense - or less dramatically
to similarity - in this case a similarity of colour? -
(and 'colour' here a description of a visual field)
what is such a similarity but a fact of observation
(a fact of the world - specifically a relation between
a certain organism and it's field of stimulus) - so do
we really need to think in terms of attributes or properties
as in any sense distinct from their bearers - isn't it really
just a relation - not of sameness (I would argue there is
no such thing) - but again of likeness - a looser and indeed
a coherent concept
do we need to define attribute - beyond this -
as 'family resemblance' - to use a Wittgensteinian concept?
metaphysically speaking things are connected
we perceive similarities and differences
essence - what makes x - x and -y - can be tracked
down within limitations - we can give increasingly
approximate descriptions of x such that x is x and -y -
but all this will finally come down to making certain
philosophical / methodological decisions about how to
regard x and its descriptions
all finally (in terms of essence) arbitrary but -
nevertheless not without point or significance
individuation therefore is finally a decision -
and the journey to definition which is never complete -
prompted originally by veridical perception - another
fact of the world - and one that does not bear too much
scrutiny
seriously though - if I state - 'this apple is red' -
what I am doing is pointing and expressing
because of the way the world is structured - in this case -
a conscious observer in a given situation - we call such
an expression - a report of an observation
another observer will give assent to this statement if his
observation confirms my observation
the statement refers to the apple
now what the apple is - apart from the term 'apple' -
attached if you will to it - is another question -
as is the status of the observation and the attachment
various possibilities present - what we are talking
about here is explanation
we can therefore say that the statement and the terms
of the statement - 'this apple is red' - are at the time
of the statement - prior to analysis - explanation -
undefined
if so - it means - I can make such a statement -
and you can assent to it - but what is
known here - is not stated - not explicated
