Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Universal Prescriptivism', 'De Anima' and 'fragments/reports'

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3 ideas

9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 2. Substance / a. Substance
The substance is the cause of a thing's being [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: The cause of its being for everything is its substance.
     From: Aristotle (De Anima [c.329 BCE], 415b12)
     A reaction: It sounds as if 'substance' here means essence. We no longer see the cause of something's being as intrinsic to the thing. Only previous causes produce things. The 'form' must be the intrinsic cause of being.
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 2. Hylomorphism / a. Hylomorphism
Matter is potential, form is actual [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: Matter is potentiality, whereas form is actuality.
     From: Aristotle (De Anima [c.329 BCE], 412a09)
     A reaction: Plato said mud has no Form. What did Aristotle think of that? I only ask because to me mud looks like unformed actuality.
Scientists explain anger by the matter, dialecticians by the form and the account [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: For a dialectician anger is a desire for retaliation or something like that, where for a natural scientist it is a boiling of the blood and hoot stuff around the heart. The scientist gives the matter, where the dialectician give the form and the account.
     From: Aristotle (De Anima [c.329 BCE], 403a30)
     A reaction: A nice illumination of hylomorphism. Notice that the dialectician also give the account [logos].