primematter

By: Doug McManaman

One of the most difficult insights to grasp in Aristotle is his insight into the meaning of matter. Since Descartes we are accustomed to think of matter (or imagine matter) as that which has mass and extension. This is not so for Aristotle. What has mass and extension is really a quantified substance, or an already constituted substance. But what explains substance? This is where his thought becomes difficult, because it is here that imagination becomes more of a hindrance than help. Mass and extension are really not part of the very meaning of matter. Let me explain.

Let's take an ordinary non-living substance, such as gold. We see the gold bar, and it is bright gold in color. It is relatively wide, thick, and about 12'' in length, and quite heavy. It is here in this place, now at this time, in front of me, right side up, etc. Now, the immediate object of my sense of sight is the gold color. The gold color could not be unless there was a surface. In other words, this sense quality (the gold color) depends upon quantity in order to be. Now, there is no such thing as pure quantity. There are only quantified things or substances. Quantity depends upon substance. The substance is first or primary. The material substance as such (or in itself) is not extended. Rather, it is capable of extension in three dimensions. It is through the accident of quantity that substance is actually extended.

So, our eyes behold the gold, which exists by virtue of the quantified substance. If the substance was not quantified, that is, spread out in three dimensions, it could not be colored. And if it is not colored, or if it does not have any of the other sensible qualities (taste, smell, hardness, sound), it cannot be perceived. Hence, we would not know it to be there at all.

The only thing that can be perceived and imagined is a quantified/qualified substance. Now, we want to go beyond the color of gold, and we also want to go beyond the quantity of gold. We want to explore the substance of gold itself. The senses cannot explore the substance of gold itself, it can only explore the gold as quantified and qualified. This is the limit of our sense investigation. And this is the limit of investigative science. But we want to explore the substance itself. We can explore it, but with intelligence alone, not imagination or sense. So let's go.

Substantial Form

The substance is of a particular kind. "Kind", remember is a term we ran into while studying Plato. "Genos" refers to the kind or form of a thing. In short, the genos is another term for essence. The form, according to Aristotle, is in the substance. The form determines the thing to be the kind of thing it is. Form gives the substance its "whatness". What is it? It is gold. It's not gold by virtue of its color, or its quantity. It is gold by virtue of its substantial form: goldness. Goldness is just a word, but it is a word that expresses the intelligible content of gold, just as triangularity expresses an intelligible.

Prime Matter

Now, what is it that has the substantial form? It is always matter that has form. It is always matter that is the subject of form. Matter receives form. To understand this better, let's draw an analogy. Take a piece of iron, a large piece in the shape or accidental form of a cube (you can bring your imagination back, but only for a while).

The iron is not primary matter. Aristotle calls this secondary matter. This secondary matter has the accidental form of cube. The form cube is not a substantial form. Cube does not make the iron to be iron. Neither is iron an instance of primary matter. Iron is an instance of secondary matter. Now, keep the iron cube in your imagination.

Secondary matter: iron

Accidental form: cube

Now, what is it that has the accidental form of cube? Ans.: the secondary matter, iron.

[hence, matter has form]

Now, what is it that makes this iron cube to be a cube? Ans.: the accidental form, cube.

[form cube makes iron to be cube]

Now, the sculptor begins to chip away at the iron cube and makes an iron sphere. What is it that enabled the sculptor to change the form from iron to sphere? Ans.: the iron. For without iron, he could not impose a new form. The new form is imposed upon the iron. The iron receives the accidental form, sphere.

[the matter iron is potentially a sphere. It is actually a sphere not by virtue of the matter, iron, but by virtue of the form, sphere]

Thus:

Matter = potentiality

Form = actuality

The source or principle that renders a new form possible is matter. The source or principle that makes the thing actually what it is, is the form.

Now, in the above illustrations we were using iron, which is secondary matter (having quantity and quality), and we were using the accidental form of cube and sphere (these are not substantial forms; they do not make a substance to be what it is). The iron is not prime matter because it is actually iron. The iron is not pure potentiality, because it is actually iron.

Let us now gather our principles and apply them to the substantial level, which is prior to quantity and quality.

[matter has form] [form makes a substance to be what it is] [the matter is potentially some other kind of thing. It is actually what it is not by virtue of the matter, but by virtue of the substantial form]

The substance gold is nothing other than prime matter golding, that is, having the substantial form of gold. Without prime matter, the form of gold would be unchanging, but the substance gold is mutable. It can change, just as the iron cube can change to iron sphere by virtue of the potentiality of the iron. But prime matter is the ultimate matter, the ultimate potentiality. It has the substantial form of gold. Prime matter is golding. The substantial form of gold makes gold to be actually gold. The prime matter has the form, is the subject of the form. It can acquire a new form. If it does, it becomes a new kind of substance.

Prime matter is the ultimate principle of potentiality of a substance.

Substantial form is the ultimate principle of actuality of a substance.

These two principles are composite (are never separate). Form actualizes prime matter. Form actualizes potentiality (prime matter). Actuality actualizes potentiality. What is potential, is potential towards actuality. A substance is a composite of potency and act. It is actually something (by virtue of its substantial form). It is potentially something else (by virtue of prime matter).

Can you see prime matter? No, you can only see a qualified/quantified substance.

Can you measure prime matter? No, you can only measure what is quantified.

Can you see substantial form? No, you can only see a qualified/quantified substance.

Can you measure substantial form? No, you can only measure a quantified substance.

How do I know a substantial form is there if I can't see it? If there was no substantial form, you couldn't know what the substance is that you are trying to measure.

Where is the substantial form located in a substance? It is not located anywhere. What has location is the whole quantified/qualified substance. Location is place, an accident of substance.

If it is nowhere, could it be everywhere in the substance? Yes, the whole substance is gold. Every part is gold. The form is found in every part, just as the substantial form of man is found in every part of man.