Inorganic Substances: Chemical Form and Physical Matter| Prof. Robert Koons
Jul 25, 2019
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Prof. Robert Koons discusses the alignment of quantum revolution with Aristotle's theories. They delve into forms in Plato and Aristotle, distinguishing token and type substances, and exploring the transition in quantum theory from finite to infinite systems. They also touch on the nature of integral parts and the connection between quantum particles and substances.
Quantum Mechanics as a Vindication of Aristotelianism
The quantum revolution is portrayed as a validation of Aristotelian concepts by showing similarities between quantum mechanics and Aristotelian philosophy, notably the understanding of potentiality. Quantum particles such as electrons, photons, and molecules are deemed insufficient as substances due to their lack of individuality and finite boundaries, contrasting with Aristotelian principles that emphasize actual parts dependent on the substance for existence.
Philosophical Role of Substantial Form in Modern Science
The podcast delves into the role of substantial forms in explaining phenomena, contrasting Plato's universal concepts with Aristotle's particular forms grounded in individual substances. These forms are presented as essential for explaining unity, persistence through time, and the one-over-many problem in scientific realms such as chemistry and thermodynamics.
Chemical Substances and Quantum Mechanics
The discussion explores how infinite algebraic systems in quantum mechanics enable the understanding of chemical substances and thermodynamics by allowing for distinctions between macroscopic states and spontaneous symmetry breaking. The transition from finite to infinite models in physics provides a metaphysical basis for explaining the persistence of chemical forms and the inadequacy of classical quantum mechanics in capturing such phenomena.
Understanding the Role of Chemical Form in Substance Classification
Chemical form plays a crucial role in classifying chemical substances based on their composition, substitution, and behavior. It is the form that determines the nature of a substance and its interaction with other substances. Chemical form influences the persistence of a substance over time, highlighting the complexity beyond what Aristotle or Aquinas originally perceived. The structure and composition of compounds contribute significantly to the behavior of the entire substance, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the chemical structure in understanding substance properties.
The Significance of Form in Unifying Virtual Integral Parts into Substances
Form serves as the unifying factor for virtual integral parts to manifest as substances with definite identities and properties. While quantum particles lack individual definiteness, substances, guided by their forms, exhibit specific locations and behaviors. Substances possess the power to express virtual components as actual integral parts through interactions within a larger chemical context. This process underscores that particles derive their identity from being part of a whole substance, where form integrates the virtual aspects into observable properties.
This was one of the lectures from our 2019 Summer Science Conference, "Novelty in Nature: Scientific and Philosophical Understanding of Flux and Chance in the Natural World." For more info about upcoming TI events, visit: www.thomisticinstitute.org/events
The Hand Out for this lecture can be accessed here:
tinyurl.com/ru5axoe
Conference Theme:
Modern science consistently presents us with new and surprising truths about the natural world, particularly about how new things come to be, whether stars and galaxies, plants and animals, or chemical and physical structures. In many ways this creativity and flux in nature might seem antithetical to the classical picture of nature that Aquinas inherited from Aristotle. The theme for the second annual Thomistic Institute symposium on modern science and Thomistic philosophy, “Novelty in Nature: Scientific and Philosophical Understanding of Flux and Change in the Natural World,” touches on this question. Expert scientists and philosophers will discuss whether Thomistic philosophy is compatible with our modern scientific view of nature and how the two might enrich one another. The symposium is primarily intended for graduate students in the sciences and the philosophy of science and will include introductory sessions on basic of Thomistic philosophy of nature in its own day and in the history of science.
2019 Featured Speakers:
Karin Oberg (Harvard University), Robert Koons, (University of Texas), Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, (Providence College), Marissa March (University of Pennsylvania), Fr. James Brent, OP, (Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception), Thomas McLaughlin (St. John Vianny Theological Seminary), Matthew Gaetano (Hillsdale College), Dr. Brian Carl (Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception).
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