Ideas of Robert Pasnau, by Theme

[American, fl. 2011, Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.]

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1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 1. History of Philosophy
16606 Original philosophers invariably seek inspiration from past thinkers
16604 Philosophy consists of choosing between Plato, Aristotle and Democritus
1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 3. Earlier European Philosophy / b. Early medieval philosophy
16586 The commentaries of Averroes were the leading guide to Aristotle
16568 Modernity begins in the late 12th century, with Averroes's commentaries on Aristotle
1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 3. Earlier European Philosophy / c. Later medieval philosophy
16653 Once accidents were seen as real, 'Categories' became the major text for ontology
16704 In 1347, the Church effectively stopped philosophy for the next 300 years
1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 3. Earlier European Philosophy / d. Renaissance philosophy
16605 After c.1450 all of Plato was available. Before that, only the first half of 'Timaeus' was known
16607 Renaissance Platonism is peripheral
16715 Plato only made an impact locally in 15th century Italy
1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 4. Later European Philosophy / b. Seventeenth century philosophy
16781 The 17th century is a metaphysical train wreck
16610 Philosophy could easily have died in 17th century, if it weren't for Descartes
2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 6. Ockham's Razor
16677 Anti-Razor: if you can't account for a truth, keep positing things until you can
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 1. Grounding / a. Nature of grounding
16598 Priority was a major topic of dispute for scholastics
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 8. Stuff / b. Mixtures
16727 In mixtures, the four elements ceased to exist, replaced by a mixed body with a form
8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 3. Types of Properties
16732 17th C qualities are either microphysical, or phenomenal, or powers
8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 6. Categorical Properties
16733 17th century authors only recognised categorical properties, never dispositions
8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 8. Properties as Modes
16662 The biggest question for scholastics is whether properties are real, or modes of substances
8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 4. Powers as Essence
16767 There is no centralised power, but we still need essence for a metaphysical understanding
8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 6. Dispositions / a. Dispositions
16788 Instead of adding Aristotelian forms to physical stuff, one could add dispositions
8. Modes of Existence / C. Powers and Dispositions / 6. Dispositions / b. Dispositions and powers
16738 Scholastics reject dispositions, because they are not actual, as forms require
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / a. Individuation
16649 Scholastics say there is a genuine thing if it is 'separable'
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 5. Individuation / b. Individuation by properties
16785 If you reject essences, questions of individuation become extremely difficult
16680 Scholastics thought Quantity could be the principle of individuation
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 2. Substance / a. Substance
16628 Corpuscularianism promised a decent account of substance
16617 Corpuscularian critics of scholasticism say only substances exist
16741 Scholastics wanted to treat Aristotelianism as physics, rather than as metaphysics
16777 If crowds are things at all, they seem to be Substances, since they bear properties
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 2. Substance / c. Types of substance
16615 Scholastics use 'substantia' for thick concrete entities, and for thin metaphysical ones
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 2. Substance / e. Substance critique
16775 For corpuscularians, a substance is just its integral parts
9. Objects / B. Unity of Objects / 3. Unity Problems / c. Statue and clay
16769 If clay survives destruction of the statue, the statue wasn't a substance, but a mere accident
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 2. Hylomorphism / a. Hylomorphism
16602 Corpuscularianism rejected not only form, but also the dependence of matter on form
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 2. Hylomorphism / b. Form as principle
16612 Hylomorphism may not be a rival to science, but an abstract account of unity and endurance
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 2. Hylomorphism / c. Form as causal
16613 Hylomorphism declined because scholastics made it into a testable physical theory
16747 Scholastics made forms substantial, in a way unintended by Aristotle
16759 Scholastics began to see substantial form more as Aristotle's 'efficient' cause
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 2. Hylomorphism / d. Form as unifier
16748 Aquinas says a substance has one form; Scotists say it has many forms
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 4. Quantity of an Object
16671 Scholastic Quantity either gives a body parts, or spreads them out in a unified way
9. Objects / C. Structure of Objects / 7. Substratum
16596 A substratum can't be 'bare', because it has a job to do
16579 There may be different types of substrate, or temporary substrates
16584 If a substrate gives causal support for change, quite a lot of the ingredients must endure
16580 A substrate may be 'prime matter', which endures through every change
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 7. Essence and Necessity / b. Essence not necessities
16749 Aristotelians deny that all necessary properties are essential
9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 6. Successive Things
16694 Typical successive things are time and motion
9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 10. Beginning of an Object
16583 Weak ex nihilo says it all comes from something; strong version says the old must partly endure
14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / k. Explanations by essence
16783 Essences must explain, so we can infer them causally from the accidents
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / g. Atomism
16609 Atomists say causation is mechanical collisions, and all true qualities are microscopic
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 7. Later Matter Theories / a. Early Modern matter
16603 In the 17th C matter became body, and was then studied by science
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 7. Later Matter Theories / b. Corpuscles
16592 Atomism is the commonest version of corpuscularianism, but isn't required by it
16750 If there are just arrangements of corpuscles, where are the boundaries between substances?
26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 2. Types of cause
16722 Scholastic causation is by changes in the primary qualities of hot, cold, wet, dry
26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 8. Scientific Essentialism / a. Scientific essentialism
16760 Substantial forms were a step towards scientific essentialism
27. Natural Reality / E. Cosmology / 3. The Beginning
16581 Scholastic authors agree that matter was created by God, out of nothing
29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 4. Christianity / b. Transubstantiation
16642 Transubstantion says accidents of bread and wine don't inhere in the substance