Response to Mary Marcil

this is an interesting question, because there are 2 seperate possible meanings to every object.

for example, the meaning of a foot stool, is a place to rest your foot. this could be anything, a book, a bed, a chair, a porcupine, etc.

but then there is another "meaning", which i don't know whether you can really call it a meaning--and that is a short, four legged, chair without a back.

you can make anything a place to rest your feet, but that doesnt mean that if use a book to rest your feet on, that it will grow four legs.

so a foot stool is a foot stool--four legs, chair without a back.

but a book being used as a foot stool--is a book being used to rest your feet on.

no, the object's identity remains the same.