هيولى

English translation: Matter (in the philosophical sense).

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Arabic term or phrase:هيولي أو هيولا
English translation: Matter (in the philosophical sense).
Entered by: Mumtaz

09:42 Oct 18, 2003
Arabic to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy / Numbers
Arabic term or phrase: هيولى
يقول إتسلر إن الأعداد صورة وهيولى معا للأشياء
Mumtaz
Local time: 13:15
matter (in the philosophical sense)
Explanation:
The Arabic word هيولى was domesticated from ancient Greek by the translators, many of whom were Christian or Jewish, who were the real engine behind the efflorescence of "Islamic" philosophy during the Abbasi period and beyond. Thus furnished, the term was used by Muslim philospohers, many of whom were non-Arabs.

The term هيولى (sometimes also written هيولا) corresponded to the Greek term "hyle" (pronounced HULEH), which orginally meant "wood" or "forest," but was used by the ancient Greek philosophsers, beginning with the Ionians in the sense of "matter." Please notice, that matter here is not coterminous with our common concept of matter, i.e., something "brute, inorganic, passive, mindless" (I am plagiarizing these adjectives from A. Emmon's essay on "Matter" in Volume V of the Encyclopedia of Philosophy). In philosophical discourse, the term is used in a different sense. In the words of the American Heritage Dictionary, matter is "that which is in itself undifferentiated and formless and which, as the subject of change and development, receives form and becomes substance." (Notice that the International Journal of the Philosophy of Chemistry is named HYLE).

Thus understood, matter, form, and substance make up three of the core concepts in all metaphysical thinking. Plato and Aristotle are credited with giving shape to the perennial debates regarding these concepts. The Muslim philosphers from Al-Kindi to Mulla Sadra kept the momentum of philosophical enquiry about these concepts until the wane of Islamic civilization and the resurrection of secular science and philosophy in Europe at the time of Hobbes and Descartes.

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Note added at 2003-10-18 20:28:11 (GMT)
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In Modern Standard Arabic, whenever we translate the non-philosophical term \"matter,\" we use the word مادة. But in philosophical discourse, the term مادة is reserved for \"substance,\" which is thought of as composed of matter and form

هيولى وصورة

This can get pretty hairy for most people, because most Arabic writers, especially those writing about philosophy today, are not careful enough to distinguish between \"substance\" and \"matter.\"

A similar confusion took place in the middle ages when Arab translators were not careful enough to distinguish between \"being\" and \"existence.\" It is interesting that this confusion led to the rise of the idea of \"existence\" as developed by Ibn Sina and Ibn Rush, who modestly thought that they were only expounding the ideas of Aristotle, when in fact they were breaking new philosophical grounds. This led to further developments in Europe by St. Thomas Aquinas, on the one hand, and, later, by Muslim philosophers, such as Mulla Sadra, on the other hand. Sometimes an error in translation is all you need to push philosophy forward.
Selected response from:

Fuad Yahya
Grading comment
Great!
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Summary of answers provided
5 +2matter (in the philosophical sense)
Fuad Yahya
5 +1primordial matter; matter; substance
Alaa AHMED
5ylem
ArabInk
4hyle = brings life to matter/the world
Jacques Saleh
4The prime matter
wasity


  

Answers


38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
هيولى
primordial matter; matter; substance


Explanation:
مادة

Alaa AHMED
Saudi Arabia
Local time: 13:15
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Hanan Soliman: fleshly
1 hr
  -> hylo- prefix = matter, my reference is Doniac's Hans Vers Dict. of Current Arabic. Thanx Hanan

agree  Shazly: (primordial) matter
1 hr
  -> Thanx Ahmed

agree  Aisha Maniar: matter
3 hrs
  -> Thanx Aisha

agree  ghassan al-Alem
8 hrs
  -> Thanx Ghassan

disagree  wasity: الهيولى هي المادة الاولى
2018 days
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
hyle = brings life to matter/the world


Explanation:
or:gives meaning to the world
in that context

literally: hyle = matter has life; but in this context, it seems to mean that number bring life/meaning to the world

Jacques Saleh
United States
Local time: 05:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ArabicArabic
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
matter (in the philosophical sense)


Explanation:
The Arabic word هيولى was domesticated from ancient Greek by the translators, many of whom were Christian or Jewish, who were the real engine behind the efflorescence of "Islamic" philosophy during the Abbasi period and beyond. Thus furnished, the term was used by Muslim philospohers, many of whom were non-Arabs.

The term هيولى (sometimes also written هيولا) corresponded to the Greek term "hyle" (pronounced HULEH), which orginally meant "wood" or "forest," but was used by the ancient Greek philosophsers, beginning with the Ionians in the sense of "matter." Please notice, that matter here is not coterminous with our common concept of matter, i.e., something "brute, inorganic, passive, mindless" (I am plagiarizing these adjectives from A. Emmon's essay on "Matter" in Volume V of the Encyclopedia of Philosophy). In philosophical discourse, the term is used in a different sense. In the words of the American Heritage Dictionary, matter is "that which is in itself undifferentiated and formless and which, as the subject of change and development, receives form and becomes substance." (Notice that the International Journal of the Philosophy of Chemistry is named HYLE).

Thus understood, matter, form, and substance make up three of the core concepts in all metaphysical thinking. Plato and Aristotle are credited with giving shape to the perennial debates regarding these concepts. The Muslim philosphers from Al-Kindi to Mulla Sadra kept the momentum of philosophical enquiry about these concepts until the wane of Islamic civilization and the resurrection of secular science and philosophy in Europe at the time of Hobbes and Descartes.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-10-18 20:28:11 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In Modern Standard Arabic, whenever we translate the non-philosophical term \"matter,\" we use the word مادة. But in philosophical discourse, the term مادة is reserved for \"substance,\" which is thought of as composed of matter and form

هيولى وصورة

This can get pretty hairy for most people, because most Arabic writers, especially those writing about philosophy today, are not careful enough to distinguish between \"substance\" and \"matter.\"

A similar confusion took place in the middle ages when Arab translators were not careful enough to distinguish between \"being\" and \"existence.\" It is interesting that this confusion led to the rise of the idea of \"existence\" as developed by Ibn Sina and Ibn Rush, who modestly thought that they were only expounding the ideas of Aristotle, when in fact they were breaking new philosophical grounds. This led to further developments in Europe by St. Thomas Aquinas, on the one hand, and, later, by Muslim philosophers, such as Mulla Sadra, on the other hand. Sometimes an error in translation is all you need to push philosophy forward.

Fuad Yahya
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
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Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AhmedAMS
6 days

agree  radwa abdel ghany
66 days
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2 days 14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
هيولى
ylem


Explanation:
One of my favorite English words! From Random House Unabridged: the initial substance of the universe from which all matter is said to be derived. Comes to us from ancient Greek 'hyle' by way of Middle English. But you probably want to use "matter". :)

ArabInk
Local time: 05:15
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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2018 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
The prime matter


Explanation:
the indeterminate substratum or mere potentiality which in combination with form (surah) constitutes a particular thing. According to the Peripatetic philosophers, it is eternal; for being a mere potentiality, it is the principle of all becoming and, therefore, could not have become itself

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Note added at 2018 days (2009-04-27 17:59:31 GMT) Post-grading
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الهيولى هي المادة الاولى

wasity
Local time: 10:15
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic
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