Substance: Its Nature and ExistencePsychology Press, 1997 - 218 من الصفحات Substance has been a leading idea in the history of Western philosophy. Joshua Hoffman and Gary S. Rosenkrantz explain the nature and existence of individual substances, including both living things and inanimate objects. Specifically written for students new to this important and often complex subject, Substance provides both the historical and contemporary overview of the debate. Great Philosophers of the past, such as Aristotle, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Locke, and Berkeley were profoundly interested in the concept of substance. And, the authors argue, a belief in the existence of substances is an integral part of our everyday world view. But what constitutes substance? Was Aristotle right to suggest that artefacts like tables and ships don't really exist? Substance: Its Nature and Existence is one of the first non-technical, accessible guides to this central problem and will be of great use to students of metaphysics and philosophy. |
المحتوى
The concept of substance in history | 9 |
An independence theory of substance | 43 |
Ontological categories | 65 |
Substance | 73 |
Skepticism about the commonsense view of compound objects | 77 |
Preliminary data for analyses of unity | 79 |
An analysis of the unity of a mereological compound | 80 |
On the unity of the parts of organisms | 91 |
A final analysis of unity | 133 |
73 | 134 |
Functional connectedness among basic biotic parts | 135 |
Nonbasic biotic parts | 142 |
Problem cases | 145 |
What kinds of physical substances are there? | 150 |
The problem of increase | 154 |
does mereological increase imply that a thing is a proper part of itself? | 160 |
Organisms and Aristotelian functions | 93 |
What is the causal relation that unites the parts of an organism? | 99 |
Aristotles account of unity | 100 |
Evolution natural selection and natural function | 102 |
The emergence of life and natural function | 105 |
Properties and tropes | 108 |
An account of natural function | 115 |
The degree of naturalness of an individuals life processes | 118 |
Vital parts and joint natural functions | 121 |
Regulation and functional subordination | 126 |
A preliminary analysis of unity | 128 |
The problem of the ship of Theseus | 163 |
The scientific argument against the reality of artifacts and typical natural formations | 165 |
a population explosion for living things? | 177 |
Is there a principle of composition for physical things? | 179 |
Places times and limits | 182 |
Organisms and natural kinds | 188 |
Notes | 192 |
Privation | 201 |
| 215 | |
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عبارات ومصطلحات مألوفة
analysis argued argument Aristotle Aristotle's artifacts atoms basic biotic biotic entity causal relation causally contribute cells central nervous system collection concept constituted Democritean Descartes entails essentially event example existence functional activities functionally subordinate heart Hence horseall human implies inanimate natural formations inanimate objects individual substance instance instantiates intuitive Inwagen joined and connected level C category living or functional logically necessary macromolecules master-part material objects mereological compound microspheres microstructural hereditary blueprint natural compound substance-kind natural function natural kind natural selection necessarily nonbasic biotic nonliving notion O's life-processes ontological ordinary physical things organic living entity organic living things organic macromolecules organism's philosophers physical substance plausible possible presupposes principle of organization properties proteinoid proteinoid microspheres protobionts pumping blood question regulated or controlled Saul Kripke seems sense ship ship of Theseus Siamese twins snowball sort species structure substratum t₂ temporal tropes undergo mereological change University Press vital water molecules