Глава XII. О разности

Difference, quality and property in relation to an object are something unified; as regards their action they differ. Thus, rationality is called both a quality, a property, and a difference of a person, but at the same time it is taken in different ways. If it is taken as something that creates and, as it were, forms a substance, then it is called quality. Further, if it is taken as something that has become characteristic of this substance, then it is called a property. And if it is taken by comparison to an unreasonable thing, say, an ox, a mule or a dog, then it is called the difference; for by this man is distinguished from the foolish. The difference, in turn, is used in three senses: general, proper and exclusive (ιδιαιτατα). Indeed, it is impossible to find two objects that do not differ from each other in some respect. Thus, species differs from species in one way, hypostasis from hypostasis of the same species and substance - in another, and hypostasis from itself - in a third. For example, the species of man and the species of horse differ from each other in their rationality and irrationality, therefore rationality and irrationality are called essential differences. In the same way, everything by which species differs from species is called natural, essential, formative (συστατικη) species (ειδοποιος) difference, or quality [as well as a natural property that is invariably inherent in the whole species], which among philosophers is called difference in the proper sense (ιδιαιτατα ), since it is akin to the nature of the subject and is its expression. Further, man differs from man, horse from horse, dog from dog [i.e. individual from an individual belonging to the same species]: so one is tall, the other is small; one is old, the other is young; [one has a flat nose, the other has a humpback]; one is smart, the other is stupid. All these signs are called non-essential properties and qualities and belong to accidents, which we will now talk about. You might be interested in: