Aquinas’ Metaphysics: Following Aristotle’s rejection of Plato’s Transcendental Forms, Aquinas holds that essences do not have an independent existence of actual beings, substances. Rather, the forms exist in things, not in a transcendental realm (for example, the essence of being exist in actually existing humans).

SUBSTANCE: MATTER & FORM POTENTIALITY & CORPORAL & ESSENCE & ACTUALITY: I. He was largely 1. He held that substances consist of MATTER-LESS EXISTENCE: matter & form , neither of which can concerned with 1. Distinction between form SUBSTANCES: 1. Aquinas seeks to distinguish substances: their exist by itself. & matter can be thought of cause, nature, 1. Aquinas agrees w/ between what a thing is, its a. By itself, matter has no properties, as a distinction between why they change, Aristotle’s analysis of essence, & that a thing is, its although it has the potential to take on potentiality & actuality: & what ends they substance as informed matter existence or being. (it is its properties . serve. a. Matter by itself has no insofar as corporeal substances definition). You can understand form, thus it has potential a thing’s essence, what it is, 2. What is a b. Properties have no existence except are concerned , that is, the to take on form. without knowing whether it substance? A thing in matter ; they are what make matter into material objects that populate exists. For example, you can that can have an an actual substance. b. The form it takes on is the sensible world. know what a unicorn is without independent what enables it to undergo a. Because matter is basis of c. It is matter that individuates (to give knowing whether one exists, or existence: change, thereby becoming corporal substances, & because individuality) substances -that makes it actual. corporeal substances are indeed, even knowing that none (e.g., a dog is a possible for there to be two of exactly exists. substance because extended, Aquinas thinks of the same kind of thing. For example, c. Form is what makes it can exist by itself; in matter as being extensive consider 2 copies of this chart. What makes matter into substance, that contrast to the color 2. In Being and Essence , them different charts, even though they are quantity . blue-for it can only exist makes it potentiality become Aquinas tells us exactly alike in their properties, is their in something else) actual. matter, not their properties,or form. If there 2. Matterless Substances: “...essence...designates that were no matter, there could not be multiple d. Aquinas example of There are substances with no through which and in which a 3. Substances are instances of the chart, or of anything else. bronze statue: (1) Bronze out matter at all; they are being has the act of existing.” what God created of which statue is made is incorporeal (angels & human He does not mean that to have & continues to d. Substances have have substantial like matter; (2) Shape it take souls): simple substances, once an essence is to exist. Rather, create: forms & accidental forms : on becoming status is like created are immortal, & having an essence is what makes it a. Corporeal (1) A substantial form is what makes a form. (3) The bronze out of no parts, they can’t deteriorate . possible for a substance to have existence as that kind of substance, that is, thing the kind of thing that it is, or which statue is made has a. They consist of form only, substance. For example, human the material world. without which it would not be that potential to become a statue. for they are not extended . (4) The form of the statue, it being could not exist without a b. Incorporeal kind of thing (e.g., substantial forms of b. While matter can’t exist by living things is a soul), for it is the soul that shape is what makes the rational soul. However, this is substance, that is, itself, uninformed (agrees with makes a living thing to be alive, enabling its bronze statue into an actual not to say that a rational soul angels & human Aristotle), he believes some activities: growth, nutrition, reproduction, statue. Ex. is not perfect causes humans to exist. In a souls. perception, etc). Your substantial form is a forms can exist by themselves, because bronze itself is a sense the explanation is the rational intellect or soul; without that, neither insofar as incorporeal kind of substance, that is, reverse: Existence causes The idea of substantial forms Aristotle or Aquinas thinks you would be the substances are forms without kind of substance you are, a human being. it can exist by itself. essences. An essence is caused dominates greek philo- matter. Ultimately, the matter out of to have actual being by an act of sophy & medieval philo- (2)An accidental form is a property that c. Even though they have no which all things are existing. For example, your sophy, but has fallen out of thing happens to have , but could exist matter, they still have constituted is prime or first humanness is caused to exist by favor in modern philosophy. without ( e.g., your hair color is an potentiality matter, which has no your act of existing. It was abandoned for a accidental property; you can change hair d. Since they have no matter, properties, but has the mechanical, or “bottom-up” color, but you would still be you). there can only be one potential to take on any 3. The cause of the existence of organization. incorporeal substance of any property. an actual being is not given kind (e.g., only one self-caused, but created by God- What is substantial form? there are things called Forms (or Ideas), and they are what organizes matter and makes angel of any given kind). whose essence is existence. it intelligible. Substantial forms are the source of order, unity, and identity of objects. Substantial forms are what is e. Only God is pure actuality. delivered to us through sensation and thus are a solution to the problem of universals.