67 On Material Supposition
On Material Supposition word is predicated of another or one intention is predicated of another.
Nonetheless, it is not asserted that one word is another or that one intention is another. What is asserted is that the thing for which the subject stands or supposits is the thing for which the predicate stands or supposits.
But it might be objected that the proposition 'Pepper is sold both here and at Rome' is true and that, nonetheless, neither of the relevant singular propositions is true. Thus, the proposition cannot be true unless 'pepper' is suppositing simply and for something other than an intention of the soul.
But in simple supposition a term does not supposit for an intention. The response here is that this proposition, if it has a conjunctive extreme, is simply false; for both singulars are false. And if the subject is construed as having simple supposition, the proposition is still false; for whether it be a thing outside or a thing in the soul, no one wants to buy the universal, pepper.
What people want to buy is the particular thing they do not have. The proposition, however, is true if it is taken as the conjunction, 'Pepper is sold here, and pepper is sold in Rome'; for both parts when standing for different particulars are true. Thus, 'Pepper is sold here and in Rome' is no more true than 'Particular pepper is sold here and in Rome'.
67: On Material Supposition Next we should consider each of the different forms of supposition in detail. First we shall consider material supposition.
It should be noted that any term which can in any way be a part of a proposition can exhibit material supposition, for every such term can be the extreme of a proposition and supposit for a spoken or written word. This is clear concerning names. Thus, ' "Man" is a name' and ' "Man" is singular in number'. The same point is clear in the case of adverbs, verbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections. Thus, « "Well" is an adverb',
« "Reads" is in the indicative mood', ' "Reading" is a participle', ' "He" is a pronoun', ' "If" is a conjunction', ' "From" is a preposition', and * "Oh" is an interjection'. Propositions and phrases can also exhibit material supposition. This is clear in the following: ' "Man is an animal" is a true proposition' and ' "That man runs" is a phrase'. This form of supposition can accrue not only to spoken words, but also to written words and elements in mental propositions, whether they be complete propositions or only parts