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~ Handout ~ Roger Bacon on the Conceivability of Matter

13th-Century English Franciscans, 24 July 2020 Nicola Polloni

nicola.polloni@gmail.com Roger Bacon, Questions on Aristotle’s Physics (Questiones in VIII libros Physicorum: OHI 13)1

→Set of questions on the conceivability of matter: book I, qq. 67-70. Roger Bacon, Communia naturalium, 1, II, 1, 61 (OHI 2)2

→Non-equivocal definitions of matter def4: “Dicitur materia aliquid constitutum in esse specifico, quod est in potencia ad accidencia contraria, ut ad calidum et frigidum, et bonum et malum, et hoc vocatur subjectum alteracionis.” def5: “Dicitur materia specialiter in usu naturalium pro subjecto generacionis, cujus proprietas est ut sit res incompleta in potencia ad esse specificum, et hoc principaliter est compositum aliquod in potencia ad esse compositi complementum.” def6: “dicitur materia propriissime et strictissime et sic est essencia quedam alia a forma, que cum ea constituit compositum, ut materia ignis et forma ejus constituunt ipsum et sic est in omni substancia creata.”

Bacon, Questiones in VIII libros Physicorum, q. 70 Vel dicendum quod materia secundum sui substantiam per se (non) cognoscitur, tamen materia secundum sui potentiam et privationem forme, et sic per formam cognoscitur sicut privatio per formam et potentia per actum. Aristotle, Physica 1/A, 7, 191a 7-12 ἡ δ᾿ ὑποκειμένη φύσις ἐπιστητὴ κατ᾿ ἀναλογίαν· ὡς γὰρ πρὸς ἀνδριάντα χαλκὸς ἢ πρὸς κλίνην ξύλον ἢ πρὸς ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐχόντων μορφὴν ἡ ὕλη καὶ τὸ ἄμορφον ἔχει πρὶν λαβεῖν τὴν μορφήν, οὕτως αὕτη πρὸς οὐσίαν ἔχει καὶ τὸ τόδε τι καὶ τὸ ὄν. (ed. Bekker) Subiecta autem natura scibilis est secundum analogiam, sicut enim ad statuam es aut ad lectulum lignum aut aliorum aliquod habentium formam materia et informe se habet priusquam accipiat formam, sic ipsa se ad substantiam habet et hoc non sic unum sit neque cum sit sic sicut hoc aliquid, unum autem est quod est ratio, amplius autem contrarium huic privatio est. (translatio vetus)

1 Work can be downloaded at https://rogerbaconresearchsociety.wordpress.com/works-by-bacon/ 2 Work can be downloaded at https://rogerbaconresearchsociety.wordpress.com/works-by-bacon/

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Weak interpretation of the analogy to the form Source domain Target domain

Secondary matter Formal qualification Metaphysical matter Metaphysical form Material aspects of the bench (wood)

Formal aspects of the bench

Matter of the form of the bench

Form of the matter of the bench

Main points of Bacon’s hylomorphism

1. Universal hylomorphism: every creature is made of matter and form 2. Formal pluralism: the substance of every creature is structured into a plurality of non-

incidental forms, vertically ordered and only the last of which is in act. 3. Extreme realism: every created substance has both universal and individual forms,

vertically ordered (= duplication of the tree of forms and, through it, of the trees of matters and the composites).

Principle of perfect hylomorphic correspondence (PPHC)

→For every level (z) of the specification of a substance x, the form F(z) can be joined to and only to the corresponding matter M(z) of the same level (z). Grounding example – Bacon, Communia naturalium, 1, II, 1, 54: “Et additur quod si materia propria appropriat formam et e converso, ut Aristoteles sepe dicit, tunc materia communis respondebit forme communi et e converso, et ideo sicut est una forma communissima ad omnes formas substanciarum compositarum, sic erit una materia communissima ad omnes materias substanciarum compositarum, et specialis materia sive specifica, forme specifice.” Interpretations of PPHC

Weak interpretation of PPHC

Matter Form Composite Composition

m1 f1 c1 m1 + f1 → c1

m2 = c1 f2 c2 c1 + f2 → c2

m3= c2 f3 c3 c2 + f3 → c3

mn= cn-1 fn cn cn-1 + fn → cn

Strong interpretation of PPHC

Matter Form Composite Composition

m1 f1 c1 m1 + f1 → c1 m2 f2 c2 m2 + f2 → c2

m3 f3 c3 m3 + f3 → c3

mn fn cn mn + fn → cn

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Outcomes of Bacon’s strong interpretation of PPHC 1. Formal pluralism implies material pluralism. 2. Matters are specified (genus species) without forms. 3. Triplication of Porphyry’s tree: matter, form, and the composite, doubled (according to

Bacon’s extreme realism). Six trees for one apple

Diagrams of Bacon’s tree of matter Communia naturalium (from MS Paris, BNF, Mazarin 3576)

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Central distinction between equivocal and non-equivocal meaning of matter

1. specific matter: matter considered as metaphysical ingredient of the composite, together with its form. Following the requirements of Bacon’s strong interpretation of PPHC, matter is differentiated into a plurality of specific matters which are the members of the tree of matter.

2. secondary matter: matter considered as the material of the composite (its functional matter, like the timber of a wooden bed). It is not properly matter, but another level of hylomorphic composite indicated by the tree of the composite.

→Prime matter is the most generic matter of the series of specific matters!

A unitary tree for Bacon’s ontology (roots only)

Example of how reversed or negative abstraction can be applied

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Roger Bacon, Opus tertium, I, 38, 268, 204 Et in his modis non sumitur materia sicut in errore dicto. Nam ibi sumitur pro materia quae est altera pars compositi, quae est substantia simplex, diversa in essentia a forma: sed hic sumitur materia pro quodam composito incompleto, quod est essentia alicujus generis, quae est in potentia ad species consequentes. Et hoc modo semper accipitur materia per totam naturalem philosophiam, et quando loquimur de subjecto generationis, quod est materia. Metaphysicus vero considerat principalius de illa materia simplici, quia de illa verificatur illud in septimo Metaphysicae, quod materia alia est ab essentia cujuslibet praedicabilis; et multa alia. Knowing prime matter according to Bacon’s ontology

1. Step one: by abstraction, one can get to the prime composite, the genus generalissimum. 2. Step two: by analogy, one can consider the hylomorphic components of the prime

composite, prime matter and the first form.