Hey, do any of you word whizzes out there know what this word means? I ran across it while reading an essay on metaphysics by Nicholas Rescher. In the essay he repeatedly refers to the "hylarchic principle". I looked it up in a number of dictionaries, but found nothing. I still haven't checked out the OED at my library, but I thought I'd see if anyone here might be able to tell me first. Thanks!
I think it's an order of tree frog.
Dear joelsephus: here is a URL to three dialogues of Philonous and Hylas, by Berkeley. It seems likely that your word refers to the nature of the views of Hyla. But I am unable to grasp them. You try it.
http://www.gruntose.com/Info/Books/George_Berkeley/three_dialogues_dialogue_3_part_3.txt
The root hyl- is from the Greek hyle meaning matter but the only words I see it in are variants of hylozoism, the doctrine that all matter has life.
there is also hylotheism, the doctrine that god and Matter are the same.
but hylarchic, I believe, refers to "having a wooden head".
I went back and painfully searched the text until I found the word. Don't ask me what it means. But for a guess it is something about the importance which we attribute to matter.
Then in
Metaphysics: what difficulties concerning entity in abstract, substantial
forms, hylarchic principles, plastic natures, substance and accident,
principle of individuation, possibility of Matter’s thinking, origin of ideas,
the manner how two independent substances so widely different as Spirit
and Matter, should mutually operate on each other? what difficulties, I s
Well, I'm not sure that that explains it a whole lot more, but I certainly do appreciate all the effort that you put into finding that out wwh.
I find one other reference, to Henry More's hylarchic principles....
Hi, joel, thanks for a question that made me laugh! We have a member here whose screen name is Hyla, and my first thought at seeing your word was that he could open a store called Hyla 'R Chic. (For non-US'ns, there's a big chain of stores called Toys R Us here.) Gee, Hyla, what would you sell?
Tsuwm, I think your first response may have hit the nail on the head.
hylarchic, I believe, refers to "having a wooden head"
Not true, it's solid granite, with a little tunnel drilled through so you can see light if you look in my ears.
As to the true sense of the word, ignore tsuwm and his reference-dependent comrades-in-words: a hylarchic system is one in which things are organized just the way I like 'em. Sadly, it is purely theoretical.
Ok, here's a quotation from the Rescher article (On Explaining Existence) that maybe clarifies it a little, but I'm still not sure I understand the word in and of itself. According to Rescher, a hylarchic principle is one which "...grounds the existence of things not in preexisting things but rather in a functional principle of some sort--a specifically nonsubstanival state of affairs...".
Ah bon, that clears that right up then. Righto, nicely done ole chap.
it seems we're sort of on the right track, but missing the boat (to mix metaphors); so here's OED2:
hylarchic - Obs.
[ad. Gr. *** f. *** matter + *** to rule. Cf. F. hylarchique.]
Ruling over matter.
1676 H. More Remarks Contents bvijb, Water is+suspended in Pumps+by Gravitation upwards, more expresly here explained, and at last resolved into the Hylarchick Principle. Ibid. 186 The Hylarchick Spirit of the world holds strong and entire still. 1713 Berkeley Hylas & Phil. iii. Wks. 1871 I. 355 What difficulties concerning entity in abstract, substantial forms, hylarchic principles.
So †hy"larchical a. Obs.
1676 [see hylostatical]. 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. i. v. 668 Some other substance besides Body, such as is self active and hylarchical, or hath a natural power of ruling over matter. 1681 H. Hallywell Melampron. 70 (T.) This hylarchical principle, or plastick nature.
The Berkeley citation is perhaps the most enlightening, as Berkeley was a philosopher who denied the existence of matter; he maintained that material objects only exist through being perceived. To the objection that, in that case, a tree would cease to exist if no one was looking at it [sound familiar?], he replied that God always perceives everything -- this, in turn, he uses as an argument for the existence of God. Ronald Knox summed this up with a limerick:
There was a young man who said, "God
Must think it exceedingly odd
If he finds that this tree
Continues to be
When there's no one about in the Quad."
Dear Sir: Your astonishment's odd;
I am always about in the Quad.
And that's why the tree
Will continue to be,
Since observed by
Yours faithfully,
GOD.
p.s. - bill, in the dialogues of Philonous and Hylas, Philonous represents Berkeley and his philosophy.
"-a specifically nonsubstanival state of affairs...".
Dear joelsephus: Is that a typo? If not, please do us a favor and define it.
'nonsubstantial' would certainly fit into this context.
Gee, Hyla, what would you sell?
Matter, of course.
Re tsuwm's pair of limericks:
It gives me great pleasure to be able to tweak the master by proclaiming, "YART".
(YCLIU, searching "Dear Sir".)
"I live in hope someday to see
Myself, nigh erudite as thee."
yart? or crossthread? it just doesn't matter....
a tree would cease to exist if no one was looking at it [sound familiar?]
Reminds me of a favorite variation on this theme:
"If a man is talking by himself in the forest, is he still wrong?"
And back to our regularly interrupted thread-theme:
I know some of the work of Berkeley (and I live in the city that bears his name, in CA), but mostly in summary form rather than having read it. I'm curious why Berkeley chose Hylas as one of the participants in his dialogues - he was a friend of Hercules who, whilst on a journey with the strong fella, went to a spring to get some water and was bewitched/seduced by the nymph or nymphs who lived in the spring, who were themselves bewitched by his good looks. He remained with the nymphs, lost forever to the world of mortals.
How does this history make him appropriate to take the role of the proponent of the independent existence of matter in the Berkeley dialogues? Or is the name just Berkeley's equivalent of Joe Schmoe? Or perhaps he sees Hylas' faith in the existence of matter as akin to his being entranced by the mythical nymphs? Or perhaps I should cease all the speculatin' and hand-wavin'?
Hyla, you forgot to add one important part to that:
The way I heard it is:
"If a man is talking in the forest and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?"
rhetorical, of course! just look at the statement "a man talking alone in the forest.." wrong, wrong, wrong! there is plenty of work to do at home! What the hell is he doing alone in the forest.. and if he has to ask, he knows he is wrong!
Hyla, provoking us with, "If a man is talking by himself in the forest, is he still wrong?", has thrown us into hyla-anarchic chaos.
>
hyla-anarchic chaosHmmph - I thought it was hyla-rious!
there is plenty of work to do at home! What the hell is he doing alone in the forest.
He's out there chopping wood to keep your delicate toesies warm. You gone need it to keep the stove going and all that hot food coming
La belle Marduk corrects me:
If a man is talking in the forest and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?
Inspires some little thoughts:
1. I knew I hadn't gotten it quite right, and I appreciate having the correct text.
b. In writing it, I was a man typing alone at my desk - so I was wrong.
iii. What does this say about the future (or the past, and the present, even) of male contributions to fora such as this? Do any of you guys regularly AWADize with a woman present?
>Do any of you guys regularly AWADize with a woman present?
Gettin' awful damned personal aren't you???
With great candor, I must tell you I only do that when there's NO woman around!
Wondered who'd jump on that opportunity first - should have known it would be you, Señor TEd.
No charge for the set-up.
Do any of you guys regularly AWADize with a woman present?
As with God and the tree: there's always a woman present.
Not necesarily a lady, though ...
And exactly where do you hang out that there are often women who are not 'ladies' hanging about?
[True Confessions]Faldage has been known to AWADize with me around. He types, I nod my head, smile, and say,"Yes, dear." [/end True Confessions]
And exactly where do you hang out that there are often women who are not 'ladies' hanging about?1 Why, this board, of course, dear.
That was established by an exchange some time ago:
bel:
There are ladies present Mister, thank-you very much 
shona:
Are there?? Where?[end of exchange]
2 At home. My wife is of
course the most refined of ladies, but our dog has, unhappily, shown herself to be of
very easy virtue.
Ah well sure, if you bring up those examples, but if you are quick enough to have found the first exchange you will also have noted that shona was a fish, on a bike, no less and as such quite blind (and a little smelly) when out of the water and unable to see that there were only ladies on Board.
Now y'all *could* disagree with me just to see what happens. La-dee-dah, let me just step outta the way here. Oh, and what was that you were saying about thinking John Denver is a terrible singer and artist. (run and hide emoticon as Jackie comes onto the scene)
but our dog has, unhappily, shown herself to be of very easy virtue.
Well of course, everybody knows that Lady is a Tramp (giving it the ole soft shoe emoticon)
Hi, bel! By odd coincidence, the dog's name (chosen long before she was of an age where such propensities were noted) is -- no kidding -- Flirt.
And BTW, did I impugn John Denver? Sure hope not.
(Note the negative pregnant.)
Bel, I am
rolling! Shona is smelly??!! Oh, ha, ha!
Golly, I wonder what that little booger's up to?
Now, Keiva--just what was that you were saying about my beloved John Denver and his wonderful songs??? Should I smush you?
What? "I fear I am not up to the intellectual pressure of this conversation."
"I fear I am not up to the intellectual pressure of this conversation."
Well, then, let's meet in the law library, and see about getting you up to speed.
let's meet in the law library and...
Is that called soliciting over there? [whistles]
And I'd thought the
intellectual pressure was excessive?
BTW: bel, how does this square wtih your prior argument about "ladies only"?
women who are not 'ladies'
And do they all make bread?
Are you catering to their kneads, or are you just trying to get a rise out of the flours of the board?
i make bread, moola, the folding stuff.. what ever you want to call it.. i earn enough scratch to keep me from itchin'.
Is that called soliciting over there? Well, he IS a solicitor...
And Keiva, Dearest, just what other kind of pressure did you think I meant, anyway?
Are you catering to their kneads, or are you just trying to get a rise out of the flours of the board?And should not evey gentleman be solicitous enough to cater to the tartest of our flowers?
And Jackie darling, mav was complimenting
your solicitude.
Trull-y, I wonder, are we dealing then with a rare book, perhaps a volume of Trollopes?
Or just an anthology of pros.
Or a circlet of jades.
Or you could look in the kitchen to find some floury tarts ...
This HAS come a long way from Bishop Berkeley and his rather dodgy conclusions regarding philosophical existence! As the bishop said the to the actress, like. A priest addressing some tarts? Well, let's not go there.