Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Commentary on 'De Anima'', 'Croce and Collingwood' and 'On 'Physics''

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8 ideas

7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 2. Types of Existence

16664	Everything that exists is either a substance or an accident [Albert of Saxony]
	Full Idea: Everything that exists is either a substance or an accident.
	From: Albert of Saxony (On 'Physics' [1357], I.18), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 13.2
	A reaction: This seems to be the view of those who base their ontology on first-order classical logic. The more austere reading of that makes the accidents into sets of substances, so it's just substances. All the non-substance stuff cries out for recognition.

9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 6. Successive Things

16703	God could make a successive thing so that previous parts cease to exist [Albert of Saxony]
	Full Idea: Something can be conceived of as successive simpliciter, with respect to both its substance and its state. For example, if Socrates were continually made and made again by the First Cause, as the Seine flow, so nothing of what preexists remains.
	From: Albert of Saxony (On 'Physics' [1357], III.3), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 18.4
	A reaction: This is precisely the problem that modern stage theory faces, of knowing how to connect the stages together.

16699	Successive entities just need parts to succeed one another, without their existence [Albert of Saxony]
	Full Idea: For existence to hold of completely successive entities it is not required that their parts exist, but that one part succeed another, as a future part succeeds a past part.
	From: Albert of Saxony (On 'Physics' [1357], III.3 ad 2), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 18.3
	A reaction: A nice move, but it doesn't quite solve it. How can non-existent things 'succeed one another'? It is worrying for metaphysics that some things have entirely different concepts of persistence from other things.

21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 1. Aesthetics

20416	By 1790 aestheticians were mainly trying to explain individual artistic genius [Kemp]
	Full Idea: By 1790 the idea that a central task for the aesthetician was to explain or at least adequately to describe the phenomenon of the individual artistic genius had definitely taken hold.
	From: Gary Kemp (Croce and Collingwood [2012], Intro)
	A reaction: Hence when Kant and Hegel write about art, though are only really thinking of the greatest art (which might be in touch with the sublime or Spirit etc.). Nowadays I think we expect accounts of art to cover modest amateur efforts as well.

21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 4. Art as Expression

20417	Expression can be either necessary for art, or sufficient for art (or even both) [Kemp]
	Full Idea: Seeing art as expression has two components: 1) if something is a work of art, then it is expressive, 2) if something is expressive, then it is a work of art. So expression can be necessary or sufficient for art. (or both, for Croce and Collingwood).
	From: Gary Kemp (Croce and Collingwood [2012], 1)
	A reaction: I take the idea that art 'expresses' the feelings of an artist to be false. Artists are more like actors. Nearly all art has some emotional impact, which is of major importance, but I don't think 'expression' is a very good word for that.

20419	We don't already know what to express, and then seek means of expressing it [Kemp]
	Full Idea: One cannot really know, or be conscious of, what it is that one is going to express, and then set about expressing it; indeed if one is genuinely conscious of it then one has already expressed it.
	From: Gary Kemp (Croce and Collingwood [2012], 1)
	A reaction: That pretty conclusively demolishes the idea that art is expression. I picture Schubert composing at the piano: he doesn't feel an emotion, and then hunt for its expression on the keyboard; he seeks out expressive phrases by playing.

20418	The horror expressed in some works of art could equallly be expressed by other means [Kemp]
	Full Idea: The horror or terror of Edvard Much's 'The Scream' could in principle be expressed by different paintings, or even by works of music.
	From: Gary Kemp (Croce and Collingwood [2012], 1)
	A reaction: A very good simple point against the idea that the point of art is expression. It leaves out the very specific nature of each work of art!

22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / e. Death

16764	The soul conserves the body, as we see by its dissolution when the soul leaves [Toletus]
	Full Idea: Every accident of a living thing, as well as all its organs and temperaments and its dispositions are conserved by the soul. We see this from experience, since when that soul recedes, all these dissolve and become corrupted.
	From: Franciscus Toletus (Commentary on 'De Anima' [1572], II.1.1), quoted by Robert Pasnau - Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 24.5
	A reaction: A nice example of observing a phenemonon, but not being able to observe the dependence relation the right way round. Compare Descartes in Idea 16763.