Is James Bond Essentially a White Man?

"As noted, an essential property (to steal from Aristotle) is a property that an entity must have. In contrast an accidental property is one that it does have but could lack. As I tell my students, accidental properties are not just properties from accidents, like the dent in a fender. One way to look at essential properties is that if a being loses an essential property, it ceases to be. In effect, the change of property destroys it, although a new entity can arise."

"To use a simple example, it is essential to a triangle that it be three-sided. If another side is added, the triangle is no more. But the new entity could be a square. Of course, one could deny that the triangle is destroyed and instead take it as changing into a square. It all depends on how the identity of a being is determined."

An essential property is a trait an entity must have; an accidental property is a trait it happens to have but could lack. Losing an essential property causes the entity to cease to be, though a new entity may arise or one might describe the change as identity persistence depending on criteria for identity. A triangle requires three sides; adding a side produces a different figure. Size and color are accidental for a triangle; repainting does not destroy triangularity. Applied to James Bond, established racial or gender traits can be viewed as accidental, permitting actor-driven changes without necessarily annihilating the character.

Read at A Philosopher's Blog