Austin, Christopher J. (2017) A Biologically Informed Hylomorphism. [Preprint]
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Abstract
Although contemporary metaphysics has recently undergone a neo-Aristotelian revival wherein dispositions, or capacities are now commonplace in empirically grounded ontologies, being routinely utilised in theories of causality and modality, a central Aristotelian concept has yet to be given serious attention – the doctrine of hylomorphism. The reason for this is clear: while the Aristotelian ontological distinction between actuality and potentiality has proven to be a fruitful conceptual framework with which to model the operation of the natural world, the distinction between form and matter has yet to similarly earn its keep. In this chapter, I offer a first step toward showing that the hylomorphic framework is up to that task. To do so, I return to the birthplace of that doctrine - the biological realm. Utilising recent advances in developmental biology, I argue that the hylomorphic framework is an empirically adequate and conceptually rich explanatory schema with which to model the nature of organisms.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | Final Version published in: Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Contemporary Science (Routledge) | ||||||
| Keywords: | philosophy of biology; metaphysics; hylomorphism; causation; explanation; dynamic systems theory; developmental biology | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Developmental Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation |
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| Depositing User: | Dr. Christopher J. Austin | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 05 Nov 2017 13:41 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 05 Nov 2017 13:41 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 14092 | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Scientific Metaphysics Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Developmental Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation |
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| Date: | 2017 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14092 |
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