Suhrawardi's Critique of Peripatetic Approach to Definition

The Peripatetic formula of definition is based on the following principles: a) the possibility of knowing something by means of its essentials, b) the acceptance of Aristotelian ten categories and c) the acceptance of Aristotle's ideas of matter and form. The Peripatetic approach to definition has been criticized by such philosophers as al-FÁrÁbi and Suhrawardi. Suhrawardi claims that it is impossible for us to know things by means by its essentials and he invokes philosopher's words to prove his claim. He says that the criterion for a thing to be self-evident is intuition; external or internal. He is also critical of the theories of ‘ten categories’ and ‘matter and form’. Having rejected Aristotelian view of definition, Suhrawardi presents his own theory of 'nominal definition', regarding it as very useful in sciences. Contrary to real definition that is based on the essentials of things, nominal definition is based on the essentials of the concept in question. Other issues touched by this article are the assessment of Peripatetics and Suhrawardi's theories of definition and their limitations and flaws.