Aristotle Four Causes, Prime Mover, Criticisms, Strengths
- Created by: Jasmine76688
- Created on: 27-04-18 14:24
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- Aristotle
- Four causes
- Material Cause - (first) explains what made from
- Formal Cause - (second) essence of shape something takes / identifying features
- Efficient cause (third) explains activity that makes something happens changes ACTUALITY to POTENTIALITY
- Final cause (fourth) somethings purpose for existing. Telos.
- Efficient cause (third) explains activity that makes something happens changes ACTUALITY to POTENTIALITY
- Prime Mover
- The first of all substances
- Depends on nothing else
- Exists necessarily
- Immaterial
- Transcendent
- Ultimate reason and telos for everything
- Final Cause of universe
- Causes change but doesn't change itself
- Is different from God because not involved e.g answering prayers
- Criticisms
- His writing lacks clarity because we only have fragments of it
- Relies too heavily on sense
- Doesn't have to be a reason for everything
- Russell 'the universe is just there and that is all'
- Dawkins rejects that the universe has a telos
- Universe due to chance not Prime Mover?
- Aristotle's explanation not only possible explanation
- Strengths
- Lays groundwork for later philosophers about cause and effect
- Gives confidence to scientific observation through observation
- Combining reason and sense can be best way to learn about world
- Four causes
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