Aristotle: Cause and Purpose
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- Created on: 28-04-15 10:27
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- Aristotle: Cause and Purpose in relation to God.
- Four Causes
- 1. The Material: the matter that something is made from.
- 2. The Formal: what gives the matter it's structure or form.
- 3. The Efficient: the cause of the object existing.
- 4. The Final: the reason why something is the way that it is (the function of the object, telos)
- Teleological
- Everything has a purpose.
- Everything has the potential (potentiality) to fulfil its purpose.
- The potentiality is actualised by motion.
- Everything brought about by motion and change.
- The potentiality is actualised by motion.
- Telos can be frustrated e.g tadpole could be eaten by predator before it turns into a frog.
- Prime Mover
- The unchanging cause of everything that exists.
- An infinite series of causes is impossible = unmoved mover.
- Necessary existence.
- It is the final cause - ultimate explanation.
- Link to God
- Aristotle links the Prime Mover to God.
- Completely different from the Christian God.
- Aristotle's God does not think about the universe and what happens in it - that would mean God changes, as his knowledge would change.
- Aristotle's God is simply an eternal, transcendent and impersonal.
- Aristotle links the Prime Mover to God.
- Four Causes
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