Civilizar (Jun 2009)

St. Thomas and the hilemorfic ontology

  • Lawrence Dewan, O.P.

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 09, no. 16
pp. 153 – 166

Abstract

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This article presents the relevancy of Aristotle’s hylemorphic ontology.Aristotle himself highlighted the importance and astonishing complexityof the problem of prime matter’s ontological status and he presenting thesolution in his doctrine of hylemorphism. As Saint Thomas Aquinasnoted, it is a crucial issue for philosophy because all four, hilemorfism,logic, physics and metaphysics, stand or fall depending on a correctunderstanding of the ontology of prime matter and of the kind of causalrelationship which exist between prime matter and substantial form ingenerable and corruptible substance.

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