An Argument for the Real Distinction Between Essence and Existence from Moderate Realism

There is a powerful argument for the real distinction between essence and existence built upon a modest assumption: Aquinas’s essence realism (moderate realism).

Let’s begin with a few definitions:

• Essence: The common feature of things, captured by their real definition. For example, humanity (the human essence) accounts for the sameness among individual human beings, such as Socrates and Plato.

• Existence: The feature that makes something actually be—that is, to have real presence in the world.

The central question is whether the essence of something is really (i.e., extra-linguistically and extra-conceptually) distinct from its existence, or whether the distinction is merely conceptual.

Here’s the key. Ready?