Aristotle Flashcards
What is potentiality?
When something contains the ingredients to become something else.
What is actuality?
When an object fulfils its potential and becomes something else.
What are the four causes?
Material cause, Efficient cause, Formal cause, Final cause.
What is the material cause?
What an object is made from
What is the efficient cause?
How something is made
What is the formal cause?
What its characteristics are
What is the final cause?
What it is for, the most important and significant cause.
Give three criticisms to the 4 causes?
Aristotle makes the assumption that nature is purposive (teleological). Is this true all of the time?
It is difficult to see good in certain object e.g. a mosquito.
Existentialism believes that things just are, they just exist and people develop purposes.
What type of argument is the prime mover?
Cosmological (an argument for the existence of God)
In his book, metaphysics, what did Aristotle say about the prime mover?
It is eternal, substance and actuality
Why does there have to be a prime mover?
Nothing comes from nothing, all things have purpose. If there is a chain of events, there must be an ultimate cause, the prime mover is the final cause.
Why must the prime mover not exist in bodily form?
It would be subject to change, it can only exist in a spiritual way, intelligence of thought.
Why is there a problem with calling the final cause “God”?
The prime mover is to remain unmoved so he must cause movement by being the object of desire by inspiring or attracting movement.
Why is Aristotle’s God different for the Judeo-Christian God
Aristotles God only thinks about itself and nothing else.
What are the 2 main criticisms of the prime mover?
It is hard to understand how the prime mover is so powerful but is unaware of it.
Does there have to be a final cause for the creation of the univerese?
