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Full Idea
The assumption that shape and solidity are the fundamental mechanical qualities requires an implausible hypothesis of a substance or material filling the space of bodies.
Gist of Idea
The assumption that shape and solidity are fundamental implies dubious 'substance' in bodies
Source
Harré,R./Madden,E.H. (Causal Powers [1975], 9.II.B)
Book Ref
Harré,R/Madden,E.H.: 'Causal Powers: A Theory of Natural Necessity' [Blackwell 1975], p.172
A Reaction
This is 'substance' in the sense of matter, rather than in the sense of an Aristotelian essence. They defend fields (rather than particles) as the fundamentals of the physical world.
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] |