Aristotle Flashcards
1
Q
Aristotle was an Empiricist, what does this mean?
A
- One who believes all knowledge is ultimately based on sense experience
- He did not look to another realm for understanding but rather through a detailed examination of the world around us
2
Q
What is Aristotles method ‘per genus et per differentia’?
A
- Meaning, by type and difference in Latin
- Aristotles method for defining things
3
Q
Give an example of Aristotles ‘per genus et per differentia’?
A
- For example if we were to look at a guinea pig we would establish it is a rodent - It’s type or genus
- We would then compare it to other rodents, e.g rats and squirrels and from this we would deduce more about guinea pigs
- Through this it would lead me to a clearer understanding
4
Q
What is Aristotles conception of knowledge and how does this differ from Plato?
A
- For Plato it is ‘remembering’ things from the Realm of the Forms
- For Aristotle knowledge is gained through sense experience, a process of reflection and practice
- E.g if we are taught mathematics or a sport we become more knowledgeable and better the more we experience/practice these things
5
Q
How does Aristotle differentiate between different ways in which knowledge is gained?
A
- For example we learn an instrument by practicing how to play, now by merely knowing how to do it theoretically
- Some things are learnt through experience, some through practice and Aristotle recognises this
- E.g The knowledge of an artist is different to that of a mathematician
6
Q
What was Aristotles greatest discovery and how does this support his method of learning?
A
- He observed an eclipse of the moon and watched a shadow make its way across
- He concluded that the shadow was the earth, and the shadow could have only been a spherical object
- This means the earth is spherical
- Shows the empirical method as useful for gaining knowledge
7
Q
How did Aristotles 4 Causes come about?
A
- Aristotle was very interested in the nature of the world
- The basis was substance, he argued this was self-evident through observation
- We are aware of things and how they change
8
Q
What is the Material Cause? (Quote)
A
- What is something made of? e.g material, wood, etc
- Without the material the thing could not be, without matter there would be nothing
- “that out of which a thing comes to exist”
9
Q
What is the Formal Cause?
A
- What form does it have? e.g the shape of the bowl is its form, without the shape it would not a bowl, just a lump of material
10
Q
How is Aristotles ‘Form’ in his Formal Cause different from Plato’s?
A
- He is not presenting the idea of a transcendent single form, when the individual is a more or less good copy
- He is replacing this with an immanence form, a form of a thing in itself that is present in our normal experience
- Aristotles form is not abstract
11
Q
What is the Efficient Cause?
A
- What brought it about? e.g a chemical reaction, a maker, a mechanical process etc
- E.g A statue does not just appear, there is a sculptor
- Something brings about the effect of the final outcome
- This is closest to our use of the word cause
12
Q
What is the Final Cause?
A
- The purpose for which something exists, the reason for its existence and its final goal
- E.g The creation of a bowl to hold fruit
- Aristotle assumed nature is purposive and teleological in its existence
- All things, even non-living have a purpose
13
Q
How does Aristotles Final Cause effect the universe?
A
- If everything within the universe has a purpose then it must maintain that the universe as a whole has a purpose
- This final cause is God (Prime Mover)
14
Q
How does Aristotle’s Prime Mover differentiate between Abrahamic Gods?
A
- Prime Mover is ‘Perfect’ and ‘Everlasting’
- But for him God is ‘everlasting’ in the sense that God and the world are co-eternal
- The universe did not have a beginning
- Aristotle’s God is transcendent and not immanent with the world
- His God is not interested in the world, God is only interested in what is perfect, and thus contemplates upon himself
15
Q
What is the Prime Mover’s relationship with the earth?
A
- As the final cause, a ‘goal’ or ‘purpose’
- Based around Aristotles idea of ‘motion’ which is not just moving but refers to change, e.g the motion of becoming from boy to man
- The God simply attracts us as God is the goal, he creates motion by attracting us to himself, the same way a cat is attracted to the saucer of milk
16
Q
What ‘cause’ does the universe not have and how does this relate to the Prime Mover?
A
- Does not have an efficient cause - it is eternal and has no beginning
- Thus the Prime Mover is not a creator but rather creates movement by exercising ‘pull’ on things
- It is the unmoved mover
17
Q
What is the link between Plato’s Form of the Good and the Prime Mover?
A
- Platos Form of the Good seeks refuge from the uncertainties of change
- Aristotles Prime Mover seeks to explain them
- May be answering the same question in a different way
18
Q
How did Aristotle contribute to modern science?
A
- His ‘per genus et per differentia’ was highly scientific
- Through this process he attempted astronomy, created hypothesis etc
19
Q
What are issues with Aristotles Efficient Cause?
A
- He gives it to name things which bring about a change, but it is a mistake to think that because someone named something they have thus explained it
- When something brings about a change the efficient cause tell us something HAS happened but not WHAT has happened
- Term is used to cover a wide range of change, e.g chemical biological etc, it is too broad to be informative
20
Q
What are issues with Aristotles idea of ‘purpose’?
A
- Normal use of the word purpose is to describe a mental intention
- People have purposes, through their goals, e.g if I make a cake my purpose is to eat it
- It is hard to understand how the cake, or the ingredients have purpose in themselves, they only have purpose because we give them purpose
21
Q
How does Aristotle suffer a fallacy of composition?
A
- Just because some things have a purpose, not all have one
- To say that because X and Y has a purpose so all must have is a mistaken enterprise, not even all body parts have a purpose
- E.g the Appendix and the male nipple
22
Q
How can it be said the universe has no purpose?
A
- Modern cosmology has shown empty and purposeless areas of the universe
- The Theory of Evolution
- Bertrand Russell ‘The universe just is’
23
Q
Should the Prime Mover be used as a singular explanation?
A
- The use of the Prime Mover as a singular explanation can be flawed, there are many different aspects of motions acting within the world, it is hard to attribute one cause for this
24
Q
The Big Bang Theory in objection to Aristotle?
A
- Casts doubt on a God who brings the world into motion by attracting it to himself
- Instead we see a violent beginning of expansion
25
Q
How can the religious oppose Aristotle?
A
- Ignores the idea of faith and that people believe in a God who is immanent with his creation
- Goes against the stories of the Abrahamic religions of a God who is good and loves his creation
