  Aristotle says that those who refuse to take up the challenge to signify one thing “do away with substance and essence. For they must say that all attributes are accidents, and that there is no such thing as ‘being essentially a human being’ or ‘an animal’” (Metaph IV 4 1007a20–23). According to Aristotle, then, those who claim to reject PNC are rejecting Aristotelian essentialism. Aristotle connects “merely signifying about” with denoting an accident, and “signifying” with denoting the bearer of an accident, the bearer being a substance. If the opponent refuses to “signify”, she is left with accidents.