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Full Idea
Matter, in the proper sense of the term, is to be identified with the substratum which is receptive of coming-to-be and passing-away; but the substratum of the remaining kinds of change is also matter, because these substrata receive contraries.
Clarification
The substratum [to hupokeimenon] is 'that which lies under' a thing
Gist of Idea
Matter is the substratum, which supports both coming-to-be and alteration
Source
Aristotle (Coming-to-be and Passing-away (Gen/Corr) [c.335 BCE], 320a03)
Book Ref
Aristotle: 'The Basic Works of Aristotle', ed/tr. McKeon,Richard [Modern Library Classics 2001], p.485
A Reaction
This must be compared with his complex discussion of the role of matter in his Metaphysics, where he has introduced 'form' as the essence of things. I don't think the two texts are inconsistent, but it's tricky... See Idea 12133 on types of change.
Related Idea
Idea 12133 If the substratum persists, it is 'alteration'; if it doesn't, it is 'coming-to-be' or 'passing-away' [Aristotle]
| 12134 | Matter is the substratum, which supports both coming-to-be and alteration [Aristotle] |
| 12301 | Every distinct thing has matter, as long as it isn't an essence or a Form [Aristotle] |
| 16092 | In Aristotle, bronze only becomes 'matter' when it is potentially a statue [Aristotle, by Gill,ML] |
| 12300 | Aristotle's conception of matter applies to non-physical objects as well as physical objects [Aristotle, by Fine,K] |
| 12077 | Aristotle's matter is something that could be the inner origin of a natural being's behaviour [Aristotle, by Witt] |
| 12103 | Matter is secondary, because it is potential, determined by the actuality of form [Aristotle, by Witt] |
| 11255 | In feature-generation the matter (such as bronze) endures, but in generation it doesn't [Aristotle, by Politis] |
| 11204 | The ultimate material of things has the unity of total formlessness [Avicenna] |
| 15309 | The assumption that shape and solidity are fundamental implies dubious 'substance' in bodies [Harré/Madden] |
| 12057 | Matter underlies things, composes things, and brings them to be [Wiggins] |
| 17531 | I assume matter is particulate, made up of 'simples' [Inwagen] |
| 16083 | Aristotelian matter seriously threatens the intrinsic unity and substantiality of its object [Gill,ML] |
| 13333 | The matter is a relatively unstructured version of the object, like a set without membership structure [Fine,K] |