Connell, Sophia (2024) Aristotle and Materialism. In: Wolfe, C.T. and Symons, J. (eds.) The History and Philosophy of Materialism. Rewriting the History of Philosophy. London, UK: Routledge. ISBN 9780367633509.
Abstract
This chapter details how Aristotle invented and then employed the concept ‘matter’ (hulê), with certain opposing views in mind. For Aristotle, matter solves the problem of what remains during natural change and generation, that which underlies. Matter is also has the potential readiness to respond to the agency of form and soul that will direct it towards natural ends. A material account is thus integral to Aristotle’s teleological metaphysics. He accuses other theorists of nature of referring only to materials in their explanations, meaning that instead of bifurcating what underlies and is passive to formal agency, their materials are already active and animate. The fundamental difference between Aristotle and his predecessors is more subtle than has sometimes been supposed, and relates to their differing views of the world – for his opponents, the world is created from a state of disorder, whereas for Aristotle the order has been there all along. The complexity of Aristotle’s viewpoint and his characterisation of other natural philosophical perspectives has made him attractive to various different camps in the history of materialism. In the past, this included considering Aristotle to have himself been some kind of materialist, associating psychic action with bodily materials such as pneuma and vital heat. These views in turn were to be taken up by sympathizers of non-reductive materialists in contemporary philosophy of mind. This chapter gives a brief overview of these developments in the interpretation and influences of Aristotelianism.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Historical Studies |
| Depositing User: | Sophia Connell |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Mar 2025 16:29 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Mar 2025 16:29 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/54105 |
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