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    If spatial extension is an intrinsic determination of cor... — Carmelics
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    Challenges→Abstracting all qualities and determinations from body yields characterless, undetermined prime matter.

    If spatial extension is an intrinsic determination of corporeality rather than an accidental property, then removing all determinations eliminates body itself rather than yielding an undetermined residue.

    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Intrinsic properties define what something fundamentally is; removing them destroys the entity's essential nature, not just its accidents.
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    • 2.Body without spatial extension is conceptually incoherent—we cannot even imagine matter occupying zero space, suggesting extension is constitutive.
      ?

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    • 3.If we could strip away spatial extension and something remained, that residue would be non-corporeal, proving extension was intrinsic to corporeality.
      ?

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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.The distinction between intrinsic and accidental is itself contestable; substance might persist through property loss without being destroyed.
      ?

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    • 2.Undetermined matter (prime matter) in Aristotelian metaphysics is real yet spaceless, suggesting substrate can exist independent of spatial determination.
      ?

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    • 3.Removing all determinations is a limiting case never actually achievable, so the claim makes assertions about a metaphysically impossible scenario.
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    Key Terms

    accidental property(Lewis accepts that objects robustly have accidental properties, explained through counterparts)
    A property an object possesses but could have lacked — a property that is not essential to the object's identity.
    corporeality(referring to physical objects or bodies)
    The quality of being physical or having a body; having matter and occupying space.
    determinations(Wolff's ontology)
    The predicates of a thing that must be mutually non-contradictory for the thing to count as intrinsically possible
    intrinsic determination(contrasting with accidental properties)
    A core, essential feature that something must have to be what it is, rather than something that could be added or removed without changing its nature.
    spatial extension(describing properties of physical bodies)
    The idea that something takes up space—it has length, width, and depth. For physical objects, this is a basic feature of what makes them physical.
    undetermined residue(as a logical outcome of the argument)
    What's left over after you strip away all qualities and features—basically nothing identifiable or describable.

    Connections

    2 topics

    Truth & Knowledge1 linkedModality & Possibility1 linked

    Related

    Abstracting all qualities and determinations from body yields characterless, und...Body without spatial extension is conceptually incoherent—we cannot even imagine...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    If we could strip away spatial extension and something remained, that residue wo...
    Intrinsic properties define what something fundamentally is; removing them destr...
    +3 moreShow less
    Removing all determinations is a limiting case never actually achievable, so the...The distinction between intrinsic and accidental is itself contestable; substanc...Undetermined matter (prime matter) in Aristotelian metaphysics is real yet space...