This paper argues that Aristotle’s ontology and logic can provide a systematic foundation for defining technical products, including software, in a clearer and more legally reliable way. The authors connect Aristotelian concepts such as substance, synonymy, and meaningful speech with Engineering Design Science and Methodology (EDSM), which they present as a uniquely suitable framework for identifying technical products in a standardized manner. Their central claim is that, although a technical product is not a substance in the strict Aristotelian sense, it can be conceived, for the purposes of identification and meaningful discourse, on the model of substance: not as a mere aggregate of parts, but as a functionally unified entity with stable identity and describable essential properties. In this qualified sense, the paper proposes the notion of an “artificial substance”. This philosophical-technical synthesis aims to improve communication in design and contracting, reduce ambiguity, and strengthen legal certainty in the development and manufacture of technical products.
Science Journal 