What are Aristotle's four causes?
Aristotle, born in 384 BCE was a
philosopher taught by Plato at his academy in Athens. Aristotle,
despite being a disciple of Plato, often questioned and challenged
Plato's ideas, for example Aristotle did not understand how humans
could gain knowledge, if according to Plato, Forms place knowledge
outside particular things. Aristotle criticised Plato's idea of the
ideal world being the most real world, as he believed the World of
opinion was the most real world.
Aristotle wrote a book called, '
Metaphysics,' in, which he investigates the question, 'What is
being?' Aristotle opened the book with 'All men desire to know,'
this clearly shows Aristotle's passion for knowledge and
observation of the world. Aristotle was concerned with the
Empirical World, and he believed we gain knowledge through
experience. He argued that there are four causes, material,
efficient, formal and final. The four causes in Aristotle's eyes is
not the normal definition of cause, for example cause and effect.
Cause in this context comes from the Greek word 'aition', which is
why an object exists in the shape, or form that it does.
Material cause is what an object
consists of. For example a wooden chair is made of wood. The wood,
the material cause, is only what the chair is made of, it is not
what makes chair what it is, or what gives the chair
characteristics. The wood is what the chair is composed of. The
matter that the chair is made from is wood. The characteristics of
an object is the Formal cause, the shape or form it takes. For
example, the wood chair, its formal cause is what gives the chair
its characteristics and expression. For instance what the builder
or sculptor plans in his mind whilst building the chair. The wood
arranged in a certain way is the Formal cause.
The efficient cause, this is how an
object happened, how and why it was built or made. For example, the
builder or sculptor by which the chair was fashioned. The efficient
cause is the force that affects an object. The builder of the chair
built the chair instead of just leaving a pile of wood. The final
cause is the purpose of an object, its reason of being. Why has the
chair been made? To be sat on, either whilst people eat, learn or
relax. It final cause is concerned with why the chair is as it is,
in order to carry out its function the Final cause is teleological
and therefore Aristotle believed every object has a final cause,
this is known as its telos. Such as a houses ultimate telos is to
protect and shelter a family and a carpets telos is to insulate the
house or to decorate it. Telos is the Greek word for purpose,
meaning or goal and that is what the final cause is, the end of
something. An objects telos can either be deliberate or natural,
for example a human consciously tries to be a nice, caring and
reasoning in order to teach its full potential, telos. On the other
hand a chair unconsciously achieves its telos of becoming a
chair.
Aristotle argued that the material
cause, the matter could not live without the form. For example
without the wood of the chair, there could simply not be a chair.
The material and formal causes are matter. They could not be alone
without the other two causes, efficient and final cause because
matter alone in the chair would simply be a pile of wood that took
no shape. Whereas the form is what gives the chair its shape and
structure. However not is not the same 'form' that Plato talked
about; it is not the perfect form, it is simply how it's built and
put together.
Aristotle believed in potentially
that then led to actuality, and this theory was a major theme in
his book, 'Metaphysics.' Aristotle believed that an object is
influenced by the four causes; material, formal, efficient and
final, and the object has actuality, which is achieved by
potentiality. Aristotle argued that everything in the World of
Sense is always changing. For example a pig in it sty exists in an
actual state however its potential is to become sausages or pork.
Potentially allows the pig to achieve its telos, its ultimate end.
Aristotle believed the actuality of an object is always present in
the potentiality. Jonathon Leceo used the famous, Kermit the frog
as an example to explain actuality and potentiality. Leceo said,
Kermit started as an embryo, this was the 'cause' of sex. Kermit
then developed into a tadpole, who had potentiality to become a
frog, and then at last Kermit become a frog. Becoming a frog was
Kermit's actuality, his eudemonia.
Aristotle as everything is always
changing there must be something that causes everything to change.
Aristotle called this the Prime mover, he described the Prime mover
as unchanging as it had reached its actuality and therefore it is
good, as it does no longer need to change to improve itself. The
prime mover is also the final cause fir Aristotle; it is the final
goal of movement. Aristotle linked the prime mover into being God,
as he has no form, only matter therefore the Prime mover is divine
simplicity. The Universe depends on the Prime mover or else nothing
would ever change. All objects try to attain their final cause and
finally the Prime mover. Aristotle used nous and described the
prime mover as the cosmic nous of the universe. Nous is a Greek
word, which is translated as mind or intellect, and it is used but
was also used by philosophers such as Plato and Plotinus. Nous is
how Aristotle referred to reason and it has the uppermost form of
rationality.
In conclusion the four causes are everything that influences an
object; all four causes operate upon everything in the universe.
Aristotle believed that everything in the universe had a purpose
and therefore the causes explain each objects means for existence.
Each object has matter and form to give it specific
characteristics. The prime mover causes all this change, as he is
eternal and inspiring as he had already reached his teleos, which
is this aim of everybody and everything.
