Haecceity

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Haecciety is a Latin term which translates to 'thisness' and refers to the something of a thing which makes it itself. It is what determines the difference between 'a man' and 'Socrates'.

The word is a neologism in Latin formed from the Latin words for 'this (very)'.

The term was coined by followers of the Scottish Catholic Priest John Duns Scotus (what a name...).

Thinking about this concept tends to make my mind melt a bit. It's like trying to imagine the scale of the universe. Thisness is the property which makes something something and not another thing. Two identical things can poses heacceity...they are their own things, despite not being unique.

Created by Niall Bell (niall@niallbell.com)