Ten Aristotle categories representation by means of cabalistic Sephiroth Tree

Abstract

Ten categories of Aristotle are the universal tool for the analysis which is called the reductive procedure nowadays. Just as our fingers are the tool to create all other tools, ten of Aristotle's categories are the tool to describe and to cognize the world, and «a life tree» is a symbolical map of the Universe and its small copy — a human. In this work ten Aristotle's categories (essence, quantity, quality, attitude, space, time, state, undergoing, possession) are compared with ten cabalistic Sephiroth (Crown, Wisdom, Intellect, Mercy, Severity, Beauty, Eternity, Greatness, Basis, Kingdom). Each category is considered as one of ten sephiroth, its situation and the attitude towards other categories is described. Sephiroth Tree is presented in four worlds (the world of Archetypes, the world of Creation, the world of Formation, the world of Action), and these worlds are correlated to four universal reasons of Aristotle (formal, material, acting and final ones). This method has been applied to illustrate and describe translating process. The author has shown an arrangement of the translating categories against the Sephiroth Tree and four reasons against four worlds (olams). Such combination of the text and drawing for object's representation under study allows us to unite logical and figurative thinking and to pass from linearly-static knowledge to the dynamic representation. The purpose of the article is to show the general points between philosophical doctrine of Aristotle and the ethical doctrine of Judaism. This material can be useful for the students, teachers, researchers who are engaged in scientific methodology and for other persons who are interested in philosophy.