Note 26

As discussed in the previous Part, by  ' abstraction from sense experience '  we do not mean that the intellect is able to single out directly and precisely the Essence of an ontologically comlete thing (though it can intend any formal content, such as a quality). The essence of an ontologically complete thing or being is gradually apprehended as a result of many sensory experiences. But once this is done, we can legitimately speak of an  ' abstracted essence ',  that is an essence abstracted from its supposit (such as the essence humanity abstracted from Socrates).

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