Ontological Dependence and Grounding in Aristotle

Abstract

The relation of ontological dependence or grounding, expressed by the terminology of separation and priority in substance, plays a central role in Aristotle’sCategories, Metaphysics, De Animaand elsewhere. The article discusses three current interpretations of this terminology. These are drawn along the lines of, respectively, modal-existential ontological dependence, essential ontological dependence, and grounding or metaphysical explanation. I provide an opinionated introduction to the topic, raising the main interpretative questions, laying out a few of the exegetical and philosophical options that influence one’s reading, and locating questions of Aristotle scholarship within the discussion of ontological dependence and grounding in contemporary metaphysics.

Aristotle on Artifactual Substances

“…Fine (1984) argues for such a reading. In Corkum (2008Corkum ( , 2016, I argue that separation terminology often refers to a notion of grounding and cannot be reduced to capacities for independent existence. For discussion of the general methodology of appealing to the contemporary notion of grounding in ancient philosophy scholarship, see Corkum (2020).…”

The Unity of Dependence

“…It is usually taken to be the relation at issue in cases in which something exists or is a certain way in virtue of something else, among various other cognates (Clark and Liggins 2012). While most comfortable with the notion of grounding are happy to treat ‘metaphysical dependence’ and ‘grounding’ as synonymous, some—if not most—take ontological dependence to be distinct from grounding (Corkum 2016: §4). Tuomas Tahko and E. Jonathan Lowe identify metaphysical dependence with grounding but distinguish grounding from ontological dependence (Tahko and Lowe 2016: §5).…”

Scientific explanation as a guide to ground

“…argues that the conceptions of ground one can find in ancient philosophy are thinner. Perhaps, some Aristoliean variety may be closer to the contemporary notion (seeCorkum, 2016). For the purposes of our argument, we need not take a stance on the possible Aristotelian pedigree of our view.…”

“…complexities and interpretative controversies. For instance, someone could argue that the roots of this idea are already to be found in Aristotle's notion of 'natural priority' (Corkum, 2016(Corkum, , 2020Peramatzis, 2011). Others might also point out that we witness the first rigorous development of this scientific conception in Bolzano's theory of grounding as a relation between the objective truths of (proper) science (Roski, 2017;Roski & Schnieder, 2022).…”