How do you explain primary matter and substantial form from the classical perspectives?

 Aristotle believes that all material substances are matter and form. If you remember from the four causes, matter is one cause and form is another cause. Substance theory says that substances are the ultimate things in the universe. Aristotle defends his position on material substances in his book Metaphysics. Matter and form are parts of substances, but they are not parts that you can divide with any technology. Instead matter is formed into a substance by the form it has.

According to Aristotle, matter and form are not material parts of substances. The matter is formed into the substance it is by the form it is. Consider a particular plant. That plant is a material substance. So it has both matter and form. The form is the arrangement, nature and state of the plant. So a plant has an internal order that changes as the plant matures. It gains nutrients from the environment, removes waste and grows. Each of these functions is a part of the plant. It is not possible to separate the activity of the plant from the actual plant. This is even true at the cellular and atomic level. The cells of the plant are plant cells doing the activities needed to happen in that particular plant. The atoms are joined in a pattern that has different properties than any of the individual atoms, but that serves the needs of the plant. At all levels, the plant’s form determines the properties and activities of every physical part of the plant. The matter just is determined by the plant so that particular activities and properties appear. This is Aristotle’s understanding of matter and form.

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