Matter and form are fictitious decompositions of substance

Evidence

The word matter is but the name of a class of fictitious entities, springing out of the sort of real entity distinguished by the word substance. … And so it is in regard to the word form. … The ideas respectively designated by these corresponding words are fractional results, produced from the decomposition of the word substance. — Jeremy Bentham, The Panopticon Writings, 450

Categorization

• DEFINE: Bentham’s signature move: treating abstract philosophical nouns as ‘fictitious entities’ requiring decomposition into real ones.
• XREF: connects to: Substance and matter are not synonymous terms — Jeremy Bentham, The Panopticon Writings, 443; Substance theory fails because removing all properties leaves nothing behind — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 859; Metaphysical distinctions between substances and universals stem from grammatical syntax. — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 732

Related

• Substance and matter are not synonymous terms (similarity 0.89)
• Substance theory fails because removing all properties leaves nothing behind (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Substance theory fails because removing all properties leaves nothing behind #corroborates (0.85) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 859
• Metaphysical distinctions between substances and universals stem from grammatical syntax. #complicates (0.80) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 732