With the rise of modern physics, emphasis was given on both the atomistic view and corpuscular structure of matter, thus providing the basis for Newton's definition of mass. When quantum mechanics and general relativity came out, emphasis was given on the concepts of energy and field. Agreement is needed as to a final comprehension on what matter is, viz. defining its ontological status. Here we shall present some contemporary standpoints, both showing that (i) a philosophical demand on the ontological status of matter remains to be attended, complementary to epistemological analysis, and that (ii) using of mathematical symbolism to underpin the concepts of mass, energy and field handled by epistemological analysis doesn't seem to be enough to account for a whole view of matter, additionaly requiring some complementary ontological perspective.
philosophy of physics; epistemology of matter; ontology of matter
