Single Idea 13333

[catalogued under 9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 3. Matter of an Object]

Full Idea

The wood is, as it were, a relatively unstructured version of the tree, just as the set {a,b,c,d} is an unstructured counterpart of the set {{a,b},{c,d}}.

Gist of Idea

The matter is a relatively unstructured version of the object, like a set without membership structure

Source

Kit Fine (Things and Their Parts [1999], §5)

Book Reference

-: 'Midwest Studs in Philosophy' [-], p.73


A Reaction

He is trying to give a modern logicians' account of the Aristotelian concept of 'form' (as applied to matter). It is part of the modern project that objects must be connected to the formalism of mereology or set theory. If it works, are we thereby wiser?