 in modern philosophy and mathematics, a property is a characteristic of an object; a red object is said to have the property of redness. the property may be considered a form of object in its own right, able to possess other properties. a property however differs from individual objects in that it may be instantiated, and often in more than one thing. it differs from the logical/mathematical concept of class by not having any concept of extensionality, and from the philosophical concept of class in that a property is considered to be distinct from the objects which possess it. understanding how different individual entities (or particulars) can in some sense have some of the same properties is the basis of the problem of universals. the terms attribute and quality have similar meanings. ==essential and accidental properties== in classical aristotelian terminology, a property (greek: idion, latin: proprium) is one of the predicables. it is a non-essential quality of a species (like an accident), but a quality which is nevertheless characteristically present in members of that species (and in no others). for example, "ability to laugh" may be considered a special characteristic of human beings. however, "laughter" is not an essential quality of the species human, whose aristotelian definition of "rational animal" does not require laughter. thus, in the classical framework, properties are characteristic, but non-essential, qualities. ==determinate and determinable properties== a property may be classified as either determinate or determinable. a determinable property is one that can get more specific. for example, color is a determinable property because it can be restricted to redness, blueness, etc.stanford encyclopaedia of philosophy determinate and determinable properties a determinate property is one that cannot become more specific. this distinction may be useful in dealing with issues of identity. ==lovely and suspect qualities== daniel dennett distinguishes between lovely properties (such as loveliness itself), which, although they require an observer to be recognised, exist latently in perceivable objects; and suspect properties which have no existence at all until attributed by an observer (such as being a suspect in a murder enquiry)lovely and suspect qualities ==property dualism== {{main|pr
Abstraction Concepts_in_metaphysics Mathematical_terminology Mereology Ontology Philosophical_concepts Quality