Each individual perceives things from their own unique perspective. In our minds these things are sorted out and expressed through language. We’re starting in the book “Categories” by Aristotle since it is on the foundation level for other studies. Most philosophy is written in view of the critics. The concepts are good for everyone but they can get lost in all the defensive language. Although it can be made complicated, I am going to try and present the concepts in as simple a form as possible so everyone can enjoy them. The goal is to become skillful at differentiating between sense and nonsense. It requires understanding what everyone understands commonly. This is where the concept of common sense comes from. The more a group of people have a grasp on it, the better they get along. Conflicts and abuses occur among people who refuse to question their own or their leadership’s view in the light of common sense.

When a person looks at a tree, the word “tree” comes to mind. Everyone in a community will have common words for common things. If someone calls a tree a house, the rest of the community would wonder about that person’s sanity. We associate subjects or tangible things with words. One way we do it is through image. A statue and a person can look like the same person and be called by the same name and yet due to their composition, they are actually two different things. Our minds find it easy to associate images, yet sometimes we have to differentiate the image from the actual. A word we use is “reality” for the real thing. It can be better or worse than the image. Material things come first and make impressions in our minds that we apply in conversations and thoughts. Some people are better than others at describing things but we all have a common sense that examines what is being said according to reality. This how we tell if things are exaggerated or the image matches the one in their minds.

Things that are of substance are categorized according to traits. If a person is known, there is no need to find more out through classifications. The name “mammal” will contain “humans” which will contain the individual. All mammals aren’t that particular person. But that person would be included when someone talks about mammals as a classification. We associate things in our mind through generalities that contain particulars. There is a correct application that everyone recognizes according to commonly applied traits. Something may or may not belong to the general subject when presented. Sometimes things are put into the wrong classification and others times they are correctly applied. A person differentiates according to the traits that qualify the item.

Some things are derived from a word to be classified. A horseman isn’t really a horse but a person who works with horses. This is done with a lot of words. A courageous person is derived from the word courage. So we associate things by images, groups and derivatives. When they are commonly applied and understood, people have a clear understanding of what others are actually talking about. This could be called the noun names. There are ways to describe actions and traits that affect images that we can explore. Grammar in any language seems to be based in philosophy doesn’t it? It is the vehicle to get to the bottom of truth and understanding.