Nature, matter-form, essence, existence, 4 causes & God

[Ion]

We need them so we can talk about the things that exist in the world…

ESSENCE:
What a thing is. The internal principle whereby a thing is what it is and not something else.

What does that “internal principle” mean?
OK so philosophy is like a metalanguage for describing the world. Some of the “elements” (my term) of this language are innovated, some are using the same words as we use now in the common language with different meaning.
How do we learn this metalanguage?

 

[Linusthe2nd]

ESSENCE:
What a thing is. The internal principle whereby a thing is what it is and not something else.

What does that “internal principle” mean?
OK so philosophy is like a metalanguage for describing the world. Some of the “elements” (my term) of this language are innovated, some are using the same words as we use now in the common language with different meaning.
How do we learn this metalanguage?

You can take a beginning course in philosophy. The following link has a Philosophy for Beginners. icucourses.com/ That is the way most people begin. Or you could buy the book Aquinas by Edward Feser. There are others but I have not read them.

Linus2nd

 

[Skeptic92]

You can take a beginning course in philosophy. The following link has a Philosophy for Beginners. icucourses.com/ That is the way most people begin. Or you could buy the book Aquinas by Edward Feser. There are others but I have not read them.

Linus2nd

If you are going to learn through Feser, I wouldn’t recommend beginning with Aquinas. Begin with; The Last Superstition, then Aquinas, and then Scholastic Metaphysics. Aquinas isn’t the text for someone completely new to the tradition, it is actually quite hard going for a neophyte. The Last Superstition is far more straight forward.

 

[balto]

‘Should’ get it implies there is any choice in the matter. Any person insterested in Analytical Philosophy and traditional Thomism should necessarily get it; as necessary as all bachelors being unmarried men.

Haha, I like the way you think! I concur, it is a necessity.

 

[Ion]

TY. I will start with some vitamins.

 

[Richca]

ESSENCE:
What a thing is. The internal principle whereby a thing is what it is and not something else.

What does that “internal principle” mean?
OK so philosophy is like a metalanguage for describing the world. Some of the “elements” (my term) of this language are innovated, some are using the same words as we use now in the common language with different meaning.
How do we learn this metalanguage?

The principle of the essence or nature of a thing is its form. Matter and form are the two primary constituents of a material substance. The form is what determines the matter to be of a specific nature or essence such as a dog, cat, tree, or human.