contrast with
existentialism; the idea that any thing that is a thing has the (predetermined)
essence of that thing.
What? Say, a
chair has
chairness. Its essence not only determines what it is, but
what it will be and do. (Raising the question:
is a broken chair still a chair?) The essence of
water is
wetness- you can't have
dry water (even if it would be more
portable, and
easy to prepare). The essence of a woman (as a woman) is
feminity. The essence is related to the
ideal, in
Platonic terms.
Disclaimer: just because i'm noding it doesn't mean i agree with it!