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Single Idea 16756

[filed under theme 9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 2. Hylomorphism / a. Hylomorphism ]

Full Idea

There is no reason why the matter in any natural thing should be stable in its nature, if it is not completed by a substantial form. But we see that silver is stable, and tin and other metals. Therefore they will seem to be perfected by substantial forms.

Gist of Idea

Substantial forms must exist, to explain the stability of metals like silver and tin

Source

Albertus Magnus (On Minerals [1260], III.1.7), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 24.2

Book Ref

Pasnau,Robert: 'Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671' [OUP 2011], p.561

A Reaction

Illuminating. This may be the best reason for proposing substantial forms. Once materialism arrives, the so-called 'laws' of nature have to be imposed on the material to do the job - but what the hell is a law supposed to be?

The 30 ideas with the same theme [general ideas about form specifying matter]:

24040 Scientists explain anger by the matter, dialecticians by the form and the account [Aristotle]
24055 Matter is potential, form is actual [Aristotle]
12345 In 'Metaphysics' Z substantial primacy (as form) is explanatory rather than ontological [Aristotle, by Wedin]
11285 The form of a thing is its essence and its primary being [Aristotle]
16147 In 'Metaphysics' substantial forms take over from objects as primary [Aristotle, by Frede,M]
12071 Essences are not properties (since those can't cause individual substances) [Aristotle, by Witt]
12084 Essential form is neither accidental nor necessary to matter, so it appears not to be a property [Aristotle, by Witt]
11251 Plato says changing things have no essence; Aristotle disagrees [Aristotle, by Politis]
16119 Aristotle's cosmos is ordered by form, and disordered by matter [Aristotle, by Gill,ML]
16148 Aristotle moved from realism to nominalism about substances [Aristotle, by Frede,M]
16112 A substance is a proper subject because the matter is a property of the form, not vice versa [Aristotle, by Gill,ML]
12002 Aristotle doesn't think essential properties are those which must belong to a thing [Aristotle, by Kung]
16164 Forms of sensible substances include unrealised possibilities, so are not fully actual [Aristotle, by Frede,M]
17043 Form, not matter, is a thing's nature, because it is actual, rather than potential [Aristotle]
13276 The unmoved mover and the soul show Aristotelian form as the ultimate mereological atom [Aristotle, by Koslicki]
16756 Substantial forms must exist, to explain the stability of metals like silver and tin [Albertus Magnus]
16757 Hot water naturally cools down, which is due to the substantial form of the water [William of Ockham]
17007 Forms must rule over faculties and accidents, and are the source of action and unity [Suárez]
16585 Prime matter is free of all forms, but has the potential for all forms [Eustachius]
16620 A chair is wood, and its shape is the form; it isn't 'compounded' of the matter and form [Hobbes]
16034 Form is not a separate substance, but just the manner, modification or 'stamp' of matter [Boyle]
15953 To cite a substantial form tells us what produced the effect, but not how it did it [Boyle]
11181 Aristotelian essentialism involves a 'natural' or 'causal' interpretation of modal operators [Marcus (Barcan)]
11184 Aristotelian essentialism is about shared properties, individuating essentialism about distinctive properties [Marcus (Barcan)]
15959 If the substantial form of brass implies its stability, how can it melt and remain brass? [Alexander,P]
12140 Modern emphasis is on properties had essentially; traditional emphasis is on sort-defining properties [Brody]
12346 Form explains why some matter is of a certain kind, and that is explanatory bedrock [Wedin]
24066 The form explains kind, structure, unity and activity [Koslicki]
10938 The extremes of essentialism are that all properties are essential, or only very trivial ones [Rami]
16602 Corpuscularianism rejected not only form, but also the dependence of matter on form [Pasnau]