Foundations of philosophy
Matter
The physical material through which activity is expressed.
The big idea
In Stephenson’s three-part framework, matter is the material side of the picture. Looking at matter means paying attention to the structures involved, as well as the activity expressed through them. Its condition and limits matter to the larger argument.
An everyday illustration
A musical instrument’s physical condition affects the sound it can produce, even when the musician knows the tune.
An original illustration to help explain the idea, not a quotation or evidence of a biological mechanism.
In the author’s words
“The function of matter is to express force.”
1927 edition · PDF page 30
Explore this book
Short excerpts from the indexed edition; line breaks are normalized. PDF page numbers refer to the source file, and may differ from printed page numbers.
Read it in context
Principle 13 gives matter its role; Principle 24 later introduces limits. Together they help prevent the mistaken reading that physical conditions are irrelevant.
Keep the question going
Explore matter with Ask B.J.
How does the Green Books discussion of matter help a new reader understand chiropractic philosophy? Explain simply, cite the relevant passages, and distinguish historical philosophy from current clinical evidence.
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