Incorporelles

Incorporelles is a term used mainly in Francophone philosophy and theology to refer to beings or entities that lack physical bodies. The word combines the prefix in- (not) with corporelle (corporeal), forming a plural noun that contrasts incorporeal with material or bodily forms. In everyday usage, incorporelles denotes entities considered to be non-material or immaterial.

In historical contexts, particularly in medieval and scholastic thought, incorporelles are highlighted as a distinct ontological category. Common examples include angels and rational souls, which are described as subsistent forms or intelligences without corporeal matter. Philosophers also discuss abstract or immaterial entities that some traditions regard as incorporelles in the sense of lacking extended form or physical substance. The discussions often address how such beings can interact with the material world and what counts as evidence for their existence.

The concept also intersects with broader debates about the nature of mind, consciousness, and God. Dualist and theistic frameworks frequently treat minds or souls and divine beings as incorporelles, raising questions about perception, causation, and the limits of bodily explanation. In contrast, materialist or physicalist views challenge the status of incorporelles as independent entities.

In modern usage, incorporelles may appear in philosophical, theological, or literary discussions to describe non-material agents, powers, or principles. The term helps distinguish discussions of non-physical realities from those concerning tangible, spatially extended things.

See also: incorporeal, soul, angelology, ontology, abstract objects.