Full Idea
The medieval Aristotelians espoused the principle of 'Operari sequitur esse'. Operation (process) is subordinate to the being of things; all actually is the activity of substantial things, so that every process is owned.
Gist of Idea
Aristotelians say all processes are 'owned', and are thus subordinate to things
Source
Nicholas Rescher (Process Metaphysics [1996], 2.5)
A Reaction
The question is where explanations must terminate. He has just distinguished (p.42) between 'owned' and 'unowned' processes. Clearly some processes are not owned by any agency. But can the unowned processes be explained, or must they be primtives?
Book Reference
Rescher,Nicholas: 'Process Metaphysics' [SUNY 1996], p.43