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The Present-in-General = The Conception of Substance

The present in general is the pure denotative power of the mind. But the act of attention has noconnotation at all, that is to say, the power which directs the mind to an object, in contradistinction to the

power of thinking any predicate of that object. It is thus neither predicated of a subject, nor a subject, andaccordingly is identical with the conception of substance.

The Conception of Being = The Copula

The copula means eitheractually is orwould be, as in the two propositions, There is no griffin, and Agriffin is a winged quadruped. The copula contains only that junction of predicate to subject whereinthese two verbs agree. Thus, the conception ofbeing has no content.

Being and Substance; The Beginning and End of All Conception: Substance is Inapplicable to a Predicateand Being is Equally so to a Subject

So, for example, if we say, The stove is black, the stove is both1) the substance,

from which its blackness has not been differentiated; and,2) the is,

by application to it of blackness as a predicate.

Thus, while being does not affect the subject; it does imply the indefinite determinability of the predicate.This means that if one could know the copula and predicate of any proposition, one would know the

predicate to be applicable to something supposable. Accordingly, we have propositions whose subjectsare entirely indefinite, where the subject is merely something actual or potential; but we have no

propositions whose predicate is entirely indeterminate.

Modes of Mental Separation: Prescision, Abstraction, Discrimination and Dissociation

Prescision and abstraction arise from attention to one element and neglect of the other. Exclusiveattention consists in a definite conception or supposition of one part of an object, without any suppositionof the other. Discrimination has to do merely with the essences of terms, and only draws a distinction inmeaning. Dissociation results from the absence of a constant association; it is the consciousness of one

thing, without the necessary simultaneous consciousness of the other.

The Mediate and Immediate

The proposition asserts the application of a mediate conception to a more immediate one. Since this is

asserted the more mediate conception is clearly regarded independently of this circumstance for otherwisethe two conceptions would not be distinguished, one would be thought through the other without the latter

being an object of thought.

The mediate conception, then, in order to be asserted to be applicable must first be considered withoutregard to this circumstance and taken immediately. But taken it immediately it transcends what is given(the immediate conception) and its applicability to the matter is hypothetical.

In the proposition, This stove is black the stove is the more immediate

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reference to aninterpretant: doesnot join aconception to the

substance

substance isinapplicable to the

predicate, andbeing equally so to

the subject

reference to acorrelate: joins a

conception to thesubstance

reference to aground: joins a

conception to thesubstance

Quality Relation

RepresentationProposition