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The Resource Substances and universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics, Theodore Scaltsas

Substances and universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics, Theodore Scaltsas

Creator
Summary
  • Theodore Scaltsas here brings the insights of contemporary philosophy to bear on a classic problem in metaphysics that stems from Aristotle's theory of substance. Scaltsas provides an analysis of the enigmatic notions of potentiality and actuality, which he uses to explain Aristotle's substantial holism by showing how the concrete and the abstract parts of a substance form a dynamic, diachronic whole. Aristotle responds in his metaphysics to a problem with Platonic theory: when a property belongs to a subject, is the property a feature of the subject or does it determine the nature of the subject? Furthermore, can the nature of a subject "belong to" the subject?
  • Scaltsas approaches this problem of the relation of the essence to the substance and its constituents from the perspective of the part-whole relation. This topic is becoming a central concern of current metaphysics and has much to offer to our understanding of the unity of a substance. In an ingenious formulation of Aristotle's solution to the Platonic problem, Scaltsas argues that for Aristotle the essence-in-actuality is not a constituent that belongs to the subject but is the subject. Scaltsas reconstructs, from the difficult and contested central books of the Metaphysics, how Aristotle resolves the metaphysical problems that stem from his distinction between essence-in-abstraction and essence-in-actuality. Scaltsas further offers an account of the unity that essence-in-actuality comprehends between particular substantial constituents and universals
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
ix, 292 pages
Contents
  • The Theme
  • 1. Matter. 1. Physical Continuity in Change. 2. Radical Transformation. 3. Against Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry Stuff. 4. Quantity of Matter: Soma. 5. The Essence of Matter
  • 2. Universals. 1. The Rejection of the Platonic Forms. 2. Existential Arguments for Aristotelian Forms. 3. The Universality of the Material Substratum
  • 3. The Birth of the Subject. 1. Plato's Discovery of the Subject. 2. The "Nature-Feature" Problem. 3. Does Participation Presuppose a Partaker?
  • 4. The Substantial Form. 1. A Substance and Its Parts: Plato's Legacy. 2. The Aggregate Argument. 3. Is the Substantial Form a Relation? 4. The Threshold Argument. 5. The Trope-Overlap Argument. 6. Structural Universals and Substantial Forms. 7. The Aristotelian Solution to David Lewis's Paradox. 8. Universality Requirements on the Substantial Form
  • 5. The Unity of Substance. 1. Abstraction and Separateness. 2. Types of Abstract Entity
Isbn
9780801430039
Instance
Label
Substances and universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics
Title
Substances and universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics
Statement of responsibility
Theodore Scaltsas
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
  • Theodore Scaltsas here brings the insights of contemporary philosophy to bear on a classic problem in metaphysics that stems from Aristotle's theory of substance. Scaltsas provides an analysis of the enigmatic notions of potentiality and actuality, which he uses to explain Aristotle's substantial holism by showing how the concrete and the abstract parts of a substance form a dynamic, diachronic whole. Aristotle responds in his metaphysics to a problem with Platonic theory: when a property belongs to a subject, is the property a feature of the subject or does it determine the nature of the subject? Furthermore, can the nature of a subject "belong to" the subject?
  • Scaltsas approaches this problem of the relation of the essence to the substance and its constituents from the perspective of the part-whole relation. This topic is becoming a central concern of current metaphysics and has much to offer to our understanding of the unity of a substance. In an ingenious formulation of Aristotle's solution to the Platonic problem, Scaltsas argues that for Aristotle the essence-in-actuality is not a constituent that belongs to the subject but is the subject. Scaltsas reconstructs, from the difficult and contested central books of the Metaphysics, how Aristotle resolves the metaphysical problems that stem from his distinction between essence-in-abstraction and essence-in-actuality. Scaltsas further offers an account of the unity that essence-in-actuality comprehends between particular substantial constituents and universals
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Scaltsas, T.
Index
index present
LC call number
B434
LC item number
.S32 1994
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Aristotle
  • Aristote
  • Substance (Philosophy)
  • Universals (Philosophy)
  • Substance (Philosophie)
  • Universaux
  • Substance (Philosophy)
  • Universals (Philosophy)
  • Metaphysica (Aristoteles)
  • Substantie
Label
Substances and universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics, Theodore Scaltsas
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [259]-274) and indexes
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
The Theme -- 1. Matter. 1. Physical Continuity in Change. 2. Radical Transformation. 3. Against Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry Stuff. 4. Quantity of Matter: Soma. 5. The Essence of Matter -- 2. Universals. 1. The Rejection of the Platonic Forms. 2. Existential Arguments for Aristotelian Forms. 3. The Universality of the Material Substratum -- 3. The Birth of the Subject. 1. Plato's Discovery of the Subject. 2. The "Nature-Feature" Problem. 3. Does Participation Presuppose a Partaker? -- 4. The Substantial Form. 1. A Substance and Its Parts: Plato's Legacy. 2. The Aggregate Argument. 3. Is the Substantial Form a Relation? 4. The Threshold Argument. 5. The Trope-Overlap Argument. 6. Structural Universals and Substantial Forms. 7. The Aristotelian Solution to David Lewis's Paradox. 8. Universality Requirements on the Substantial Form -- 5. The Unity of Substance. 1. Abstraction and Separateness. 2. Types of Abstract Entity
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
ix, 292 pages
Isbn
9780801430039
Lccn
94008911
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
n
System control number
  • (OCoLC)30036999
  • (OCoLC)ocm30036999
Label
Substances and universals in Aristotle's Metaphysics, Theodore Scaltsas
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [259]-274) and indexes
Carrier category
volume
Carrier category code
nc
Carrier MARC source
rdacarrier
Content category
text
Content type code
txt
Content type MARC source
rdacontent
Contents
The Theme -- 1. Matter. 1. Physical Continuity in Change. 2. Radical Transformation. 3. Against Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry Stuff. 4. Quantity of Matter: Soma. 5. The Essence of Matter -- 2. Universals. 1. The Rejection of the Platonic Forms. 2. Existential Arguments for Aristotelian Forms. 3. The Universality of the Material Substratum -- 3. The Birth of the Subject. 1. Plato's Discovery of the Subject. 2. The "Nature-Feature" Problem. 3. Does Participation Presuppose a Partaker? -- 4. The Substantial Form. 1. A Substance and Its Parts: Plato's Legacy. 2. The Aggregate Argument. 3. Is the Substantial Form a Relation? 4. The Threshold Argument. 5. The Trope-Overlap Argument. 6. Structural Universals and Substantial Forms. 7. The Aristotelian Solution to David Lewis's Paradox. 8. Universality Requirements on the Substantial Form -- 5. The Unity of Substance. 1. Abstraction and Separateness. 2. Types of Abstract Entity
Dimensions
24 cm
Extent
ix, 292 pages
Isbn
9780801430039
Lccn
94008911
Media category
unmediated
Media MARC source
rdamedia
Media type code
n
System control number
  • (OCoLC)30036999
  • (OCoLC)ocm30036999

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