104 NAMES AND PROPOSITIONS. 



respecting it are among the causes which have spread 

 mysticism over the field of logic, and perverted its 

 speculations into logomachies. 



It is apt to be supposed that the copula is much 

 more than a mere sign of predication ; that it also 

 signifies existence. In the proposition, Socrates is 

 just, it may seem to be implied not only that the 

 quality just can be affirmed of Socrates, but moreover 

 that Socrates is, that is -to say*- ^xipts;, This, how- 

 ever, only shows that there is an arri Dignity in the 

 word is; a word which iubt;,ikiiy ^rfornte.tlie function 

 of the copula in affirmations, but has also a meaning 

 of its own,, in virtue of which it may itself be made 

 the predicate of a proposition. That the employment 

 of it as a copula does not necessarily include the 

 affirmation of existence, appears from such a proposi- 

 tion as this, A centaur is a fiction of the poets ; 

 where it cannot possibly be implied that a centaur 

 exists, since the proposition itself expressly asserts 

 that the thing has no real existence. 



Many volumes might be filled with the frivolous 

 speculations concerning the nature of Being (TO oV, 

 ouo-ta, Ens, Entitas, Essentia, and the like), which 

 have arisen from overlooking this double meaning of 

 the words to be; from supposing that when it signifies 

 to exist, and when it signifies to be some specified 

 thing, as to be a man, to be Socrates, to be seen or 

 spoken of, to be a phantom, even to be a nonentity, it 

 must still, at bottom, answer to the same idea ; and 

 that a meaning must be found for it which shall suit 

 all these cases. The fog which rose from this narrow 

 spot diffused itself at an early period over the whole 

 surface of metaphysics. Yet it becomes us not to 

 triumph over the gigantic intellects of Plato and 

 Aristotle because we are now able to preserve ourselves 



