Here it is, irreducible and uncanny:
Continuity is the ontological category whose only job is to be self-sustaining. The only contents of this category are a pointer back to the category itself. This is the necessary ground that sustains all other possibilities.
The first derived category is Quantity, whose contents include: Unity and Multiplicity. Unity is the ground of Multiplicity (That is, Multiplicity is derivative of Unity).
The next derived category is Quality. This category is derived from the ontological category (Continuity), and so it is of the same order as Quantity. Within this category are included all of the “sensations.”
The next derived category is Nomination (in the basic sense, it means “to name”). This category is also derived from Continuity, and so it is of the same order as Quantity and Quality. Within this category are all of the arbitrary symbols that “externally attach to” (signify) the various permutations of the preceding categories.
The combination of Multiplicity and Nomination gives us the category of Number.
The combination of Quality and Nomination gives us: a) the category of Description (eg green, hot, hard), b) the category of Noun (man, dog, tree), and c) the category of Name (Dave, Sally, Snoopy).
The combination of Continuity and Quality (Sensation) gives us Motion, and the combination of Nomination and Motion gives us Verb.
I. Continuity: The Ontological Category
A. A pointer back to the category itself.
II. The Derived (Grounded) Categories
A. Quantity
- Unity
a. Multiplicity (This is derived from Unity)
B. Quality
- All possible Sensations
a. Motion (Sensation plus Continuity)
C. Nomination
- All possible Symbols/Words
III. The Combined Categories (Nomination plus…)
A. Number (Multiplicity)
B. Description (Quality)
C. Noun (Quality)
D. Name (Quality)
E. Verb (Motion)
It is from the combined categories that we have our language that can describe any possible circumstance in the world. And it is precisely from within this language that we must attempt to construct a System that is able to ontologically ground it. This is the primary purpose of the philosophical project.