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Single Idea 7943

[filed under theme 9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 7. Substratum ]

Full Idea

There seems to be no way of identifying a substratum as the bearer of qualities without qualifiying it as bare (having the property of being bare?), ..and they cannot be used to individuate things, because they are necessarily indiscernible.

Clarification

A 'substratum' is also known as a 'bare particular'

Gist of Idea

A substratum has the quality of being bare, and they are useless because indiscernible

Source

Cynthia Macdonald (Varieties of Things [2005], Ch.3)

Book Ref

Macdonald,Cynthia: 'Varieties of Things' [Blackwell 2005], p.113

A Reaction

The defence would probably be a priori, claiming an axiomatic necessity for substrata in our thinking about the world, along with a denial that bareness is a property (any more than not being a contemporary of Napoleon is a property).

The 22 ideas with the same theme [an object's underlying aspect, apart from surface features]:

10962 It is unclear whether Aristotle believes in a propertyless subject, his 'ultimate matter' [Aristotle, by Lawson-Tancred]
10942 If you extract all features of the object, what is left over? [Aristotle]
16575 Something must pre-exist any new production [Aristotle]
16142 A substrate is either a 'this' supporting qualities, or 'matter' supporting actuality [Aristotle]
16103 A subject can't be nothing, so it must qualify as separate, and as having a distinct identity [Aristotle, by Gill,ML]
16631 If we remove surface qualities from wax, we have an extended, flexible, changeable thing [Descartes]
12559 Complex ideas are collections of qualities we attach to an unknown substratum [Locke]
12968 A 'substratum' is just a metaphor for whatever supports several predicates [Leibniz]
15814 A peach is sweet and fuzzy, but it doesn't 'have' those qualities [Chisholm]
15481 I favour the idea of a substratum for properties; spacetime seems to be just a bearer of properties [Martin,CB]
15264 The notorious substratum results from substance-with-qualities; individuals-with-powers solves this [Harré/Madden]
11969 Models nicely separate particulars from their clothing, and logicians often accept that metaphysically [Kaplan]
12764 For the bare particular view, properties must be features, not just groups of objects [Stalnaker]
16407 Possible worlds allow separating all the properties, without hitting a bare particular [Stalnaker]
7929 A substance is either a bundle of properties, or a bare substratum, or an essence [Macdonald,C]
7941 Each substance contains a non-property, which is its substratum or bare particular [Macdonald,C]
7942 The substratum theory explains the unity of substances, and their survival through change [Macdonald,C]
7943 A substratum has the quality of being bare, and they are useless because indiscernible [Macdonald,C]
16584 If a substrate gives causal support for change, quite a lot of the ingredients must endure [Pasnau]
16579 There may be different types of substrate, or temporary substrates [Pasnau]
16580 A substrate may be 'prime matter', which endures through every change [Pasnau]
16596 A substratum can't be 'bare', because it has a job to do [Pasnau]