Form, Matter, Substance

Kathrin Koslicki defends the Aristotelian doctrine of hylomorphism, which states that objects are compounds of matter and form and that a living organism is not exhausted by its body, cells, organs, tissue, and the like. She argues that a hylomorphic analysis of concrete particular objects is well-equipped to compete with alternative approaches and that matter-form compounds occupy the privileged ontological status traditionally associated with substances due to their high degree of unity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 01 March 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

In her book "Form, Matter, Substance," Kathrin Koslicki presents a contemporary defense of the Aristotelian doctrine of hylomorphism. According to this approach, objects are composed of two fundamental elements: matter (hule) and form (morphe or eidos). It is important to note that a living organism is not merely defined by the body, cells, organs, tissue, and other components that make it up.

Koslicki argues that a hylomorphic analysis of concrete particular objects possesses the ability to compete effectively with alternative approaches when evaluated against a diverse range of criteria of success. However, the successful application of the doctrine of hylomorphism to the specific case of concrete particular objects hinges on how hylomorphists conceive of the matter composing such objects, their form, and the hylomorphic relations that exist between a matter-form compound, its matter, and its form.

To address these questions, Koslicki provides detailed explanations and answers. As a result, matter-form compounds emerge as occupying the privileged ontological status traditionally associated with substances, despite their metaphysical complexity, due to their remarkable degree of unity.

Weight: 440g
Dimension: 234 x 155 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198880684