Form Substance Materiality And Metaphysics

Form, Substance, Materiality and Metaphysics By Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif © Copyright 2009 by Anthony J. Fejfar Metaphysically, Form, Substance, and Materiality are not the same. First, Form is not Substance. Substance provides Reality and Form provides Shape. Thus, we can use the metaphor or example of the Christmas Tree Cookie Cutter and Cookie Dough to show the distinction between Form and Substance. Form is provided by the Cookie Cutter, while Substance is provided by the Cookie Dough, Together they provide the Substantial Form of a Christmas Cookie Christmas Tree. Additionally, Substance is not Materiality. Some Modern Theologians make the mistake of concluding that the Ancients and Medeivals uncritically used the concept of Substance rather than Materiality. In fact, Substantial Form and Material Form are not the same.

Substance is Absolute Relationality, or Angelic Substance, or the Holy

Spirit. Thus, Thomas Aquainas makes this distinction. Both substantial form and material form are found in the Summa Theologica. The Material is that which is based upon Subatomic Particles, manifesting Atoms, manifesting molecules, manifesting cells. Angelic Substance is Metaphysical not material. Substantial Forms are more solid and certain than material forms, which in turn are more solid and certain than material accidents. Material Accidents are also known as random statistical probability.