Aristotle tells us that this branch of philosophy is first, in
the sense that it is fundamental to all nature and is difficult to
explain through experience These things are better known in
themselves and often remote from the real world of experience
(because they are general and abstract) Despite its title, he says
that you should study nature first First Philosophy
Slide 3
Being qua being The study of being, in metaphysics, is called
ontology Metaphysics is the study of three combined elements: 1. a
study 2. a subject matter (being) 3. a manner in which the subject
matter is studied (qua being) Huh?
Slide 4
Being qua being Metaphysics, then, studies beings in general
and studies them in so far as they are beings It is concerned with
anything that exists for the mere fact that it exists, not the
contents of the thing itself
Slide 5
Example of Health (I wouldnt copy this down!) Many different
things are said to be healthy: a person, a complexion, a diet, etc.
By they arent all healthy in the same sense. A person is healthy
because he has health. A diet can lead to health, and a complexion
is sometimes indicative of health. So, what is the central case of
health? Or, what is the primary sense? What is the secondary
sense?
Slide 6
Example continued A persons health is the primary sense because
only a person can have health. A diet can lead to health and a
complexion can help indicate health, so these are the secondary
senses of the terms.
Slide 7
Back to Beings Aristotle said, For some things are called
beings because they are substances, others because they are
attributes of substances, others because they are a road to
substance, or because they are perishings or privations or
qualities of substance, or productive or generative of
substance
Slide 8
Back to Being qua Being Primary substances are the things
themselves Qualities of a thing are also beings but considered
secondary because qualities do not have substance Being qua being,
then, is the study of the central (primary) cases of being For
Aristotle, the question of What is being? is a question of What is
substance of that being?
Slide 9
Metaphysics Z Yes, there is a book by Aristotle actually
labelled Metaphysics Z (Book VII of Metaphysics) At first,
Aristotle ponders if matter is primary, which seems to make sense
Aristotle had used examples of substance like a man, a horse, a
tree but not longer found these acceptable basic items because of
hylomorphic analysis, which suggests that matter underlies and
persists through substantial changes
Slide 10
The Problem with Matter Examples: a house (the form) is created
when many other basic things (matter) are put together An animal is
generated by matter (contributed by the mother and form
(contributed by the father)
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So whats the problem? Aristotle suggests that a compound (form
and matter together) cannot be a substance (What? Why? This is not
making sense!) The reason is most likely that a compound cannot be
a basic ontological ingredient (form or quality is not a primary
sense of substance)
Slide 12
Examples of the Problem A brown horse A scholar Each is a
compound of substance + attribute A brown horse = a horse +
brownness A scholar = a human + education And since everything has
attributes, the primal nature of being is brought into
question
Slide 13
He Then Asks Because Aristotle is long winded, he considers if
substance is a combination of matter and form. He starts to ask if
matter and form can be separable and individual at the same time.
Separability: amounts to independent existence; not qualities of a
thing Individuality: This something is only the thing it is as long
as it is that thing The problem is that when combined, matter and
form are posterior
Slide 14
But Finally! Matter cannot be substance! It must be form, which
Aristotle begins to call essence He focuses on what it is about an
individual that makes it self-subsistence and independent substance
is some sort of principle and cause Form, or essence then, is the
principle cause of a thing because it is unchanging and the cause
Ahhhhh!