Hylomorphic Functions

Philosophers have long pondered the Problem of Universals. Socrates and Plato hypothesized that the Universals exist independent of the real world in a universe of their own. The Doctrine of the Forms was criticized by Aristotle, who stated that the Universals do not exist apart from things — a theory known as Hylomorphism. This paper postulates that Measurement in Quantum Mechanics is the process that gives rise to atomic Universals, which we refer to as hylomorphic functions. These atomic Universals in turn combine to become the whole range of Universals. This leads to a type of metaphysical Realism, where Universals are contingent on the hylomorphic functions that bring them into being. We look at this hypothesis in relation to two different interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. The first is the Copenhagen Interpretation, which we consider a version of Platonic Realism based on wave function collapse. The other interpretation is Pilot Wave Theory of Bohm and de Broglie, where particle-particle interactions take the place of measurement, leading to an Aristotelian metaphysics. This view of Universals explains the distinction between pure information and the medium that instantiates it, the existence of qualia and the arrow of time.