On The Principles Of Individuation And Individuality A Zetetic Reconstruction Based On St.Thomas Aquinas

According to the traditional view,St.Thomas Aquinas named quantified matter,or matter signated by quantity;as the principle of individuation.However,among Thomists there have always been disputes over the proper understanding of quantified matter.Moreover,from the perspective of late mediaeval scholasticism,quantified matter alone is not an adequate solution to the metaphysical problem of individuation,that is,not sufficient to be the principle of individual's individuality.Based on the standpoint of St.Thomas's philosophical thoughts,this zetetic dissertation aims at reconstructing a genuine Thomist answer to the question of individuation.Firstly,through the analysis of individuality,this dissertation will point out that the core signification of individuality is the incommunicability of individual,or ontologically speaking,the imparticipability of its individualized act of being(actus essendi).Secondly,two divergent understandings of quantified matter in the Thomist tradition will be elucidated,which is the matter actually signated by determinate dimensions,and the matter potentially signated by indeterminate dimensions,respectively corresponding to the individualization of metaphysical form and substantial form.Lastly,in the dissertation it will be suggested that in the framework of St.Thomas's philosophy,the root of individuality is the act of being(actus essendi)participated by individual.From this standpoint,we could make furthur responses to the criticisms from Duns Scotus,Franciscus Suarez and Leibniz.