The great unifier: form and the unity of the organism

Oderberg, D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9585-0515 (2018) The great unifier: form and the unity of the organism. In: Simpson, W. M. R., Koons, R. C. and Teh, N. J. (eds.) Neo-Aristotelian Perspectives on Contemporary Science. Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Science. Routledge, pp. 210-232. ISBN 9780415792561 doi: 10.4324/9781315211626-12

Abstract/Summary

Organisms possess a special unity that biologists have long recognized and that cries out for explanation. Organs and collectives also have their own related kinds of unity, so what distinguishes the unity of the organism? I argue that only substantial form, a central plank of hylemorphic metaphysics, can provide the explanation we need. I set out the idea that whilst organisms possess substantial form, organs abtain the substantial form of the organisms they belong to, and collectives contain the substantial forms of their organismic members. I consider a number of difficult cases, including lichens, biofilms, cellular slime moulds, and plasmodial slime moulds, arguing that none of them pose a serious threat to the threefold distinction between organ, organism, and collective. I conclude by arguing that two prominent, alternative unity principles for organisms do not work, thus giving indirect support to the need for substantial form.

Additional Information	The published version of this chapter is Open Access and can be found here: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315211626-12
Item Type	Book or Report Section
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/66662
Identification Number/DOI	10.4324/9781315211626-12
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Humanities > Philosophy
Additional Information	The published version of this chapter is Open Access and can be found here: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315211626-12
Publisher	Routledge
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