Concept of Matter

635 Pages·35.608 MB·English

by  Ernan McMullin

^he Qoncept Meaner
of
CONTRIBUTORS
JOSEPH BOBIK
A. R. CAPONIGRI
V. C. CHAPPELL
LEONARD ESLICK
J.
HERBERT FEIGL
MILTON FISK
JOHN FITZGERALD
, J.
MARIE BOAS HALL
N. R. HANSON Th
MARY B. HESSE
ROBERT O. JOHANN, S.J.
CZESLAW LEJEWSKI
N. LOBKOWICZ
NORBERT M. LUYTEN, O.P.
RICHARD P. MCKEON
ERNAN MC MULLIN
EDWARD MANIER
CECIL B. MAST
CHARLES W. MISNER
JOSEPH OWENS, C.SS.R.
HARRY A. NIELSEN
RICHARD RORTY
KENNETH SAYRE
WILFRID SELLARS
JOHN E. SMITH
JAMES A. WEISHEIPL, O.P.
ALLAN B. WOLTER, O.F.M.
A. E. WOODRUFF
Concept Nlatter
of
EDITED BY
ERNAN McMULLIN
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME PRESS
Copyright 1963 by
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 63-13472
Manufacturedin the UnitedStatesofAmerica
Designed by John B. Goetz
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is a record of a conference on "The concept of matter" held at
the University of Notre Dame fromSeptember 5 to September 9, 1961. The
papers forthe conference were contributed inadvance and circulated among
those invited toparticipate.Writtencriticismsand suggestions weresolicited,
and several of the papers were modified by their authors in the light of
these advance discussions. At the conference itself, the papers were pre-
sented only in summary and a formal comment on each was read by one of
the participants. Each paper was then discussed in detail by the group as a
whole (numbering thirty people), and the proceedings were audio-taped.
After the conference, most of the essayists rewrote their papers in the
light of the points raised at the conference. The papers, as we have tiiem
Two
here, are thus the final product of a long process of dialogue. extra
papers (those by Drs. Hesse and Woodruff) were added subsequently, as
well as the comment by Dr. Feigl, reprinted from The Philosophy of Sci-
ence. In addition, some of the formal comments given at the conference
have been included, though limitations of space unfortunately made it im-
possible to reproduce all of them.
Finally, sections of the conference discussion were transcribed from tape,
and some edited excerpts are reproduced here in order to give the reader
some idea of what went on. Choice of the excerpts was necessarily a very
subjective matter on the part of the editor; almost any section could have
been chosen. The aim was to find the pieces that would best illuminate the
papers, or present some point not raised in the papers, or illustrate a funda-
mental disagreement between the participants. For, as the reader will soon
note, there tve^-e disagreements of a deep-rooted philosophical sort, as well
as differences on questions of historical, philosophical and scientific detail.
But it was interesting to notice at the conference itself a consensus develop
on many issues that at the outset seemed hopelessly controverted. We hope
that the reader may, as he works through the book, come to share, at how-
ever many removes, in the excitement and tension of the original dialogue.
In addition to the essayists and commentators whose work is reproduced
below, the following also took part in the conference discussions: Robert
Acknowledgments
Cohen (Physics, Boston University); Catesby Taliaferro (Mathematics,
Notre Dame) Drs. John Oesterle and Ralph Mclnerny (Philosophy, Uni-
;
versity of Notre Dame) Father Edward O'Connor, C.S.C. (Theology,
;
Notre Dame). Three of the essayists were unable to attend the conference:
Drs. Lejewski and Hall, and Father Luyten, O.P.
Two points of editorial usage may be noted. The phrase, 'primary mat-
ter', was agreed upon as the best contemporary rendering of the Greek
prote hyle, and this has been made uniform throughout the papers. Sec-
ondly, typography has been pressed into the service of semantics in a way
to which readers of American philosophy are becoming accustomed. Single
quotes are used for mention only, i.e. in order to name the expression they
enclose. Double quotes are used not only for quoting material, but also (in
the case of words or phrases) to indicate a special sense of the expression
they enclose. Italics are used either for emphasis, or to indicate the foreign
character of the expression italicized, or lastly, to warn that the italicized
term is to be understood as referring to the concept associated with it, in-
stead of to its normal concrete referent. (Thus, for example, one would use
italicstosaythatmatterunderwentanevolutionintheseventeenthcentury.)
Our thanks must go first and foremost to the National Science Founda-
tion,withoutwhoseaidthepublicationofthisbook wouldhavebeenimpos-
sible. Their grant ofa substantial portion of the printing cost encouraged us
to proceed. Secondly, to the University ofNotre Dame which supported the
original conference, and made its resources available for the preparation of
this manuscript.Lastly,tothemany who aid^dsogenerously alongtheway:
Paul Schrantz, Janice Coffield, Ruth Hagerty, Mary Mast, Sr. M. Jeremiah,
I.H.M., Sr. M. Petrus, R.S.M., who helped with thelarge task oftypingand
mimeographing; Joseph Bellina, who took charge of the audio-taping;
Patricia Crosson who compiled the Index; and the staff of the University
Press, especially Charles Mc Collester, for their patience, planning and
perseverance.
E. McM.
VI
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments v
Introduction 1
Ernan McMullin
PART ONE
MATTER IN GREEK AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
The Concept of Matter in Presocratic Philosophy 45
Czeslaw LeJ€ws\i
Comment Joseph Owens, C.Ss.R. 57
The Material Substrate in Plato 59
Leonard Eslicf^
J.
Discussion 75
"Matter" in Nature and the Knowledge of Nature: Aristotle
and the Aristotelian Tradition 79
John FitzGerald
J.
Matter and Predication in Aristotle 99
Joseph Owens, CSs.R.
Comment N. Lobkowicz 116
Discussion 120
Matter as Potency 122
NorbertLuyten, O.P.
Comment Ernan McMullin 134
Response NorbertLuyten, O.P. 136
Discussion 140
Contents
The Ockhamist Critique 144
Allan B. Walter, O.F.M.
PART TWO
REFLECTIONS ON THE GREEK AND MEDIEVAL
PROBLEMATIC
Matter as a Principle 169
Ernan McMullin
Comment WilfridSellars 209
Primary Matter and Unqualified Change 214
Milton Fis\
Comment Joseph Bobi\ 238
Discussion 241
The Referent of'Primary Matter' 244
Harry A. Nielsen
Comment John FitzGerald 253
J.
Raw Materials, Subjects and Substrata 255
WilfridSellars
Comment Milton Fisf{ 269
Discussion 272
Matter and Individuation 277
Joseph Bobi/{
Comment Milton Fisf^ 289
Discussion 292
Four Senses of 'Potency' 295
Ernan McMullin
PART THREE
FROM MATTER TO MASS
The Concept of Matter in Fourteenth Century Science 319
James A. Weisheipl, O.P.
viu
Contents
Comment Allan B. Wolter, O.F.M. 342
Matter in Seventeenth Century Science 344
MarieBoasHall
Comment fames A. Weisheipl, O.I\ 368
Action at a Distance 372
MaryB. Hesse
PART FOUR
THE CONCEPT OF MATTER IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Matter and Individuation in Leibniz 393
EdwardManier
Kant's Doctrine of Matter 399
]ohn E.Smith
Matter in the IdeaUst Tradition 412
A.R. Caponigri
Comment RichardP. McKeon 421
Discussion 426
MateriaUsm and Matter in Marxism-Leninism 430
N. Lobkowicz
PhenomenaHsm without Paradox 465
Kenneth Sayre
Comment RichardRorty 488
Discussion 491
Matter and Event 497
RichardRorty
Comment V. C. Chappell - 525
Matter as Act 528
Robert O. Johann,S.J.
Comment Leonard Eslicl^ 544
J.
IX
PART FIVE
MODERN science: THE "dEMATERIALIZATIOn"
OF MATTER
The Dematerialization o£ Matter 549
N. R.Hanson
Comment Herbert Feigl 562
Discussion 570
A Note on Three Concepts of Mass 574
CecilB.Mast
The Elementary Particles ofMatter 578
A. E. Woodruff
Matterand Energy in ScientificTheory 585
CecilB. Mast
Mass as a Form ofVacuum 596
W
Charles Misner
.
Discussion 609
Biographical Notes on the Authors 613
Index of Names 619