Essence

In philosophy, essence is the attribute or set of attributes that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property that the entity or substance has contingency, without which the substance can still retain its identity. The concept originates with Aristotle, who used the Greek expression to ti ên einai (τὸ τί ἦν εἶναι, literally meaning "the what it was to be" and corresponding to the scholastic term quiddity) or sometimes the shorter phrase to ti esti (τὸ τί ἐστι, literally meaning "the what it is" and corresponding to the scholastic term haecceity) for the same idea. This phrase presented such difficulties for its Latin translators that they coined the word essentia (English "essence") to represent the whole expression. For Aristotle and his scholastic followers, the notion of essence is closely linked to that of definition (ὁρισμός horismos).

In the history of western thought, essence has often served as a vehicle for doctrines that tend to individuate different forms of existence as well as different identity conditions for objects and properties; in this eminently logical meaning, the concept has given a strong theoretical and common-sense basis to the whole family of logical theories based on the "possible worlds" analogy set up by Leibniz and developed in the intensional logic from Carnap to Kripke, which was later challenged by "extensionalist" philosophers such as Quine.

Essence (Lucinda Williams album)

Essence is Lucinda Williams' sixth album. It was released in 2001. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 28, selling about 44,500 copies in its first week. According to Billboard as of February 2008, the album had sold 336,000 copies in the U.S.

Reception

Essence was highly anticipated coming after a three-year gap from her lauded Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and the critical reviews reflect that. Although positive, none rate the album as highly as her breakthrough. Robert Christgau, who raved about Car Wheels, called the album "imperfect" but still praised her artistry saying "[she] is too damn good to deny." Reviewers noted the difference in tone between the two albums with Rolling Stone citing the "willful intimacy" of the music while Spin contrasted its "halting, spare" presentation with Car Wheels "giddy, verbose" one. In a review posted by Salon the album was called "an emotional mess of a masterpiece".

Q listed Essence as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.

Essence (disambiguation)

Essence is the attribute (or set of attributes) that make an object or substance what it fundamentally is.

Essence may also refer to:

Pestilence

Pestilence may refer to:

See also

Pestilence (band)

Pestilence were a death metal band from the Netherlands founded in 1986. They are known for incorporating jazz and fusion elements into their music. After disbanding in order to pursue other musical directions in 1994, Pestilence reunited in 2008, and as of July 2014, the band is on a "permanent hold". To date, the band has released seven albums.

Biography

Early career (1986–1990)

Pestilence started in the Netherlands in the mid 1986 as a thrash metal band. The lineup, consisting of Patrick Mameli (guitar, vocals), Randy Meinhard (guitar), and Marco Foddis (drums), recorded two demos before gaining the attention of Roadrunner Records. After the first demo, Martin van Drunen (bass, vocals) joined them. These two demos - Dysentery (1987) and The Penance (1987) - are raw, sounding mostly like a cross between Possessed and Schizophrenia-era Sepultura. After signing with Roadrunner, Pestilence released their debut album, Malleus Maleficarum, in 1988, further refining their approach to thrash metal. The new material was tighter and more focused than the demos.

Pestilence (comics)

Pestilence is a comic book supervillain who has battled the Canadian super-team Alpha Flight. The character Pestilence is a literary version of the real life Francis Crozier, who was second in command in Franklin's lost expedition to the Northwest Passage and later disappeared after taking command of the expedition from the deceased Franklin.

Fictional character biography

In 1845, F.R. Crozier became the doctor and chief science officer for an Arctic expedition led by famed explorer Sir John Franklin, who sought the Northwest Passage. The expedition consisted of two ships, the Terror and the Erebus. During the intervening three years, Crozier became captain of one of those vessels.

Six months after the departure of the expedition, the ships became trapped in the Arctic ice. In November 1847, with supplies running low, Sir John led part of the crew in search of help and was never seen again. In April 1848, Crozier took the remainder of the crew and set out over the ice. Many of the crew died of exposure during the march and were left unburied, and a number of advance scouts were apparently flash-frozen where they stood. With almost no one left alive, Crozier mixed together unknown chemicals and ingested them, inducing a state of suspended animation that the surviving crew mistook for death. His plan was to remain where he fell, allowing the ice to preserve him until the weather warmed enough to revive him. What he did not anticipate was that out of respect for him and his position, his remaining crew decided to bury him. Interred in permafrost, the sun never reached Crozier and he spent the next 140 years buried alive and going insane.