Hylomorphism redux

dietlbomb

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One small comment regarding a discussion in episode 148. Forth Dauntless wondered whether the ring is a spiritual ring instead of a physical ring. This immediately brought to my mind the idea of hylomorphism. Hylomorphism is an idea from Aristotle's (and St. Thomas's) metaphysics that any object is a combination of its form and its material. For example, a ring's form is a ring, an object designed to be worn on a person's finger. A ring's material, however, is the stuff it's made from: gold, silver, or some alloy, in some shape, etc.

Aristotle applied the concept of hylomorphism to everything in the world, most notably humans. Humans are a combination of the form of human, and the body is its material. The form of a human is also called the soul.

Sauron's ring, if Tolkien's world matches Aristotle's metaphysics, is a combination of the form of a ring, and the material of a ring, but also the form of Sauron's evil will, or even his person (as speculated by Ambrosius in episode 148).

If this reading is correct, Sauron dumped his soul into a material ring. And indeed, any object with the form of a Maia and the material of a ring is altogether evil.
 
I don't think we're supposed to think that anything with a heterogeneous combination of form and material is inherently evil.

The Silmarils are a combination between the form of an Elf and an unknown material, and they're holy as all get out.
 
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