Of itself or separately

Meaning

Per se has context-dependent force. Monsters not arising per se from putrefaction are contrasted with ones made through art in glass. Elsewhere blood is preserved per se rather than as a quintessence, and phlegm is said to move of itself. The phrase should not receive a single rigid metaphysical translation everywhere. It can mark spontaneous occurrence, separateness of a material, or an action without a stated external mover.