PhilosophyLesson 1 of 2 in the course Metaphysics

Substance, Atomism, and Form in Ancient Philosophy

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

This lesson introduces the philosophical search for the foundation of reality. Ancient philosophers asked whether the most basic reality is one kind of being or many kinds.

The Latin term substantia, translated as substance, refers to the basic reality of a thing: what supports or underlies its other features. The ancient question of fundamentality asks what independent basis makes the things we regard as real possible.

All flashcards

Substance
The basic reality of a thing, underlying and supporting its other features.
Naturalism
The view that meaningful inquiry concerns the physical world and its governing laws.
Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika composition
Similar atoms form dyads; dyads form triads; triads combine into larger wholes.
Hylomorphism
Aristotle’s account of substances as composites of matter and form.
Potentiality and actuality
Potentiality is what something can become; actuality is the realized state of that capacity.

Quiz questions

  1. How does Aristotle’s account of form differ from Plato’s?Answer: Aristotle locates form in particular things; Plato places forms in a separate realm.
  2. Which question does Aristotle’s final cause answer?Answer: What purpose or end is something for?
  3. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, what does the sun represent?Answer: The source of knowledge and truth.
  4. In Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika, which sensible quality is associated with earth atoms?Answer: Odor.
  5. What problem arises if every part can be divided into smaller parts without end?Answer: Division has no ultimate starting point.

Based on Introduction to Philosophy by Nathan Smith (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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