• What all things have in common insofar as they exist is that they are individual things or substances; to be is to be a substance.
Primacy substance第一实体
• existing actually(actualization)--form, the purpose of change of matter, therefore must pre-exists its change.
Three meanings of the
term"substance"
• It can mean"matter" in the sense that it is that which underlies the change.
Being exists in two senses
• existing potentially(potentiality)--matter, being comes into being from being as potential, matter pre-exists its change.
• In the truest and primary and most definite sense of the word, is that which is neither predicable of a subject nor present in a subject; for instance, the individual man or horse.
Change will regress to infinity
There must be a stop!
• A terminal point • The logical starting point of the infinite
• The matter is the thing that undergoes change from contrary to contrary.
• be able of receving both contraries
Four Causes of Substances
• matter(质料因） • form（形式因） • privation（动力因） • efficient cause（目的因）
• Substance is independent to any other and other attributes are dependent on subtance.
Substance
• Something must first exist to stand under the attributes predicated of it.
things • The study of substance(本体）
Different categaries of beings
• Subtance, quality, quantity, location, relation, etc.
• Substance is the most important and prior to any other.
• The individual thing is a primary substance.
Secondary subtance第二实体
• That which is predicable of a subject is its higher classifications, the species and genera of a subject; these Aristotle calls secondary substance.
Unmoved mover in Metaphysics
Aristotle
What is Metaphysics?
• The study of being as being. • First philosophy • The study of principles or causes of all
Change---from contrary to contrary
• nothing come into being from absolute non-being.
• There must be a third element in the change process----the matter(质料）.
eteanges
• What------become something else • quality------alteration with respect to non-
essential attributes • quantity-------increase and diminution • place-------motion, locomotion
• It can mean nature, in the sense of the form or essence of the thing, the "positive state towards which movement takes place".
• one could call the individual thing consisting of matter and form a substacnes, since it is a "this".
Socrates
• Philosopher(species) • Man(genus) • Animal(genus)
Three types of substances
• sensible and perishable. • sensible and eternal. • immovable, non-sensible and