HPhil Seminar: April 30, 2026

The HPhil (History of Philosophy) Research Group of the Centre of Philosophy of the University of Lisbon announces the 2025/26 edition of its permanent seminar on the history of philosophy, devoted to the presentation of conferences by renowned specialists while also creating opportunities to emerging scholars, aiming to promote advanced studies in groundbreaking debates and the permanent training of its academic community.

In this session of the seminar, Andrea Buongiorno (University of Oxford) will present a paper, entitled “Truth, Falsehood, and Mereology in Prior Analytics B2 to B4”. (abstract below)

The session will take place on April 30, 2026 at 5 p.m., in the Room 201.J (Room Mattos Romão, Department of Philosophy). Admission is free

Abstract

In this talk, I will discuss a puzzle surrounding the notions of part and whole in Aristotle’s Prior Analytics B2 to B4. There, Aristotle discusses the truth-value of universal statements, like ‘every human is pale’. His standard view on this matter is that a universal statement is either true or false. In B2 to B4, though, he makes a different claim, namely that a statement is either wholly true, or wholly false, or partly true and partly false. Are these two views compatible with one another? If so, how? I will endeavour to answer these questions systematically. To that end, I will develop a definition, which clarifies what it is for a statement to be wholly true, wholly false, or partly true and partly false. Under this definition, Aristotle’s claims in B2 to B4 do not contradict but in fact clarify his standard views on the truth-value of universal statements.