From the book
Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume I
Marsilio Ficino · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordInhaerere adheres or inheres.
- In the Platonic TheologyQuality extends and divides with matter, perishes if separated, and is therefore supported by matter as subject.
- In this editionIn se, a se, ex se and per se are not automatic synonyms.
- A place to readInherence, material support and causal dependence are explicitly connected
Meaning
Inhaerere adheres or inheres. Sustinere supports or sustains; subsistere subsists. Iacere in alio is to lie in another. Dependere depends; fomentum in this context is sustaining support. These spatially coloured words describe ontological reliance, not only physical contact.
Use in the book
Quality extends and divides with matter, perishes if separated, and is therefore supported by matter as subject. Ficino infers that what cannot support itself cannot exist from itself. The distinction between “in itself” and “from itself” is important: independence of a material substrate is not already independence of every cause. The rational soul’s third essence is later said to subsist through itself, while remaining a grade below angel and God. Likewise, quality’s reliance on matter is used to deny sufficient control over its own or foreign matter. The argument does not say quality is merely imaginary or ineffective; it explains why its real operation requires a superior agent.
Places to read
- I.3.4Inherence, material support and causal dependence are explicitly connected
- I.3.7The “support of matter” limits quality’s independent efficacy
- I.3.18A form not lying in another is required for matter’s production and preservation
- I.3.33Self-subsisting third essence is distinguished from quality’s dependence on a subject
Translation in this edition
In se, a se, ex se and per se are not automatic synonyms. In I.3.4, “support itself” and “subsist from itself” preserve a deliberate inference, while fomentum in I.3.7 should not be narrowed to literal food or fuel.
fomentum
fomentum. Printed forms: fomento.
Sustaining support. Quality cannot exist without matter’s support; the noun here should not be reduced to literal food or fuel. References: I.3.7. See Support, inherence and dependence.
inhaereo / sustineo
inhaereo / sustineo. Printed forms: inhaeret; sustinet; sustinetur.
To inhere; to support or be supported. Quality depends on its material subject and cannot sustain itself independently; the spatial language explains ontological reliance. References: I.3.4. See Support, inherence and dependence.
subsisto / dependeo
subsisto / dependeo. Printed forms: dependet; subsistere; subsistit.
To subsist and to depend. Lying in a subject is used to infer dependence on another; later soul’s self-subsistence removes dependence on material support, not all dependence on a higher cause. References: I.3.4, I.3.33. See Support, inherence and dependence.