Sunday, April 1, 2012

Stoic Principles of Matter

The Stoics split the universe into the 'whole', consisting of the physical world we live on, and 'void', an infinite expanse outside of our world. The two of them collectively comprised the 'all'. The known world was then divided into matter and logos, or God. The Stoic god was conceived as a characteristic of matter common to all matter - it is what makes matter peculiarly qualified. This is a roundabout manner of explaining how substance can be peculiarly qualified, and why all matter is peculiarly qualified. Note that Calcidius, who I haven't heard of it, confirms my belief that no bit of matter could possibly be without peculiar characteristics - such is the result of the twinning of matter and logos.

Sextus Empiricus makes an interesting side argument, however. Matter can be either self-moving, or moved by another power. The basis for scientific thought is that all actions have causes - all matter is moved by another power. Since imagining a universe that solely consists of passive matter would lead to an endless regression of higher order causes, there must be a power which is self-moving. If that self-moving power were of a finite length of time, some higher order power must cause it to start. Hence, "the power which moves matter and guides it in due order into generations and changes is everlasting. So this power would be [G]od."

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