LessonsEntities and Accidents: Subsistence, Substance and BodyQuiz

An inhering feature (ḥāl) is found in a bearer or substrate (maḥall). The bearer is what has that feature. This distinguishes what is described from the description attributed to it.

Example 1: wood is the bearer; its black color is an accident.
Example 2: water is a body; its coldness is a quality.
Example 3: a moving vehicle is the body; its state of motion is a condition of the body.

These examples clarify classical terminology. They are not a claim that the classification constitutes a complete theory of contemporary physics.

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Bearer, attribute and the language of inherence

Entities and Accidents: Subsistence, Substance and Body

An inhering feature (ḥāl) is found in a bearer or substrate (maḥall). The bearer is what has that feature. This distinguishes what is described from the description attributed to it.

Example 1: wood is the bearer; its black color is an accident.
Example 2: water is a body; its coldness is a quality.
Example 3: a moving vehicle is the body; its state of motion is a condition of the body.

These examples clarify classical terminology. They are not a claim that the classification constitutes a complete theory of contemporary physics.