Aristotle Flashcards
What does Aristotle believe knowledge is?
A posteriori (based on sense experience) and empiricist
What are two of Aristotle’s quotes?
“Plato is dear to us but knowledge is dearer”
“There is nothing in the mind which was not first in the senses”
What are Aristotle’s four causes?
He believed everything physical has four causes:
1) material cause - what it is made out of
2) formal cause - shape and characteristics
3) efficient cause - who made it and how
4) the final cause - its purpose
When is something good for Aristotle?
When it fulfils it’s purpose
What is the world like according to Aristotle?
It is in a constant state of flux and motus. He says everything has potentiality and actuality.
What is the final cause in the universe?
The Prime Mover
- it is not an efficient cause as then it would be moved by creation
- it is immutable, perfect, transcendent, and goodness
- he suggests things are drawn to it by attraction
- all physical things change so it must be spiritual / thought itself
- it can only think of itself or thought
What are strengths / weaknesses of Aristotle’s theory?
+ we can’t survive without our senses
+ four causes can still be applied today
+ Just because we can’t see it’s purpose doesn’t mean it doesn’t have one
- Our senses can deceive us
- moves from empiricism to rationalism
- fallacy of composition
- Russel - brute fact
- humans decide purpose not intrinsic
- not everything has a purpose
- how does the prime mover connect to the universe?
- four causes can’t be appiled to the abstract
- something may have multiple purposes
- who decides its purpose?
- Is something always good if it fulfils its purpose?
