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    The four relations between universals

    al-nisab al-arbaʿ

    النِّسَبُ الأَرْبَع

    Any two universals stand in one of four relations: equivalence, general and particular absolutely, general and particular in some respect, or mutual exclusion.

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    human= rationalEqualالتَّسَاوِيanimalhumanOne contains the otherالعُمُومُ المُطْلَقُwhiteanimalOverlappingالعُمُومُ مِنْ وَجْهٍhumanstoneMutually exclusiveالتَّبَايُنُ
    Any two universals stand in one of four relations: equal, one containing the other, overlapping, or mutually exclusive.

    Explanation

    Equivalence (tasāwī): human and rational. General and particular absolutely: animal and human. In some respect: animal and white, which overlap in a white animal.

    Mutual exclusion (tabāyun): human and stone, which never apply to the same thing.

    Also written as: nisab arba, four relations.

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