PHILOS 14 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: East Los Angeles College, Res Extensa, Real Union
Document Summary
Focus on the dimension of descartes" view of substance. When dealing with the question of ontology, aristotle still is very important. When asking what is, we think of material things. A substance is something that has certain properties, which may be continually subject to change. Any thing" is in some sense a substance but is subject to taking on or shedding properties. The substance is that which abides the accident properties to adhere to them. That which is the independent existence of anything as a thing that exists as things on its own. Descartes defines the substance that which is in need of no other thing for its existence. strictly speaking, there is only one thing that satisfies that definitional account, god. As an infinite, completely real and perfect being. Strictly speaking substance is only god, but to give an adequate account of finite reality we must understand substance as a derivative.
