Aristotle

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What is Aristotle's Formal Cause?
Features that make something what it is, e.g human features for a human
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What is Aristotle's Material Cause?
What something is made of, e.g marble for a statue.
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What is Aristotle's Efficient Cause?
Who/what made something, e.g blacksmith for a knife. Brings about change.
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What is Aristotle's Final Cause?
AKA telos. Purpose of something, e.g driving for a car
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What is potentiality?
Possibility of doing/becoming something
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What is actuality?
When potential is achieved
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What did Aristotle believe the Prime Mover was?
Self-moved being causing all motion
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How is Aristotle's understanding of the Prime Mover different to the Christian understanding of God?
Impersonal force, not a personal being
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What does the prime mover cause?
Movement in all things w/o moving itslef - attracts things towards it through pure goodness
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What does the Prime Mover's idea of pure goodness link to from Plato's cave analogy?
Form of the Good
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In what ways did Aristotle describe the Prime Mover?
Immaterial, neccesary, perfectly good, eternal
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Why is the Prime Mover seen to be perfect?
Evil = lack of good. If Prime Mover = pure actuality, must contain everything that ought to be there (must be perfection)
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Give three criticisms of Aristotle.
Incompatible w/ theism (no interaction from God), lack of evidence, no explanation for universe (Satre, Dawkins, Russell)
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What did Aristotle believe about the relationship between cause and potential?
Cause actualises potential
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In what way does a magnet analogy relate to the Prime Mover?
Like a magnet, the Prime Mover draws other things towards it and makes them want to imitate it through pure goodness
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What did Aristotle believe about goodness?
Everything has intrinsic goodness, and strives for ultimate good
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How did Aristotelian beliefs influence Aquinas?
Belief that "Prime Mover" (God) = unchanging, pure actuality = key Christian belief
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How are Aristotle's beliefs different from those of Plato?
Plato believed in humans w/ eternal souls, while Aristotle viewed them as immanent
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Card 2

Front

What is Aristotle's Material Cause?

Back

What something is made of, e.g marble for a statue.

Card 3

Front

What is Aristotle's Efficient Cause?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What is Aristotle's Final Cause?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is potentiality?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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