Philosophy--10/10/2012

I read about definitions. Definitions are tied to concepts, which have a genus and a differentia. The definition is supposed to cover both of those parts. The genus is the category of specifics that are included for that particular concept. For example, a coffee table is a subset of tables. The genus takes all those traits that don't pertain to coffee tables and throws them out. The differentia actually gets into the specifics of these particular traits. This is where color, material, shape, and other traits of the concept come into play.