Aristotle: The Prime Mover Flashcards
What did Aristotle believe?
The world and nature was in a constant state of flux and concluded that there must be an explanation for all changes that happen in the universe
What did Aristotle argue?
Everything within time and space is subject to change and so we must ask ‘what caused it to be?’
What was Aristotle’s conclusion?
What causes everything to be or started off the chain of cause and effect must therefore be aspatial and atemporal. He reasoned that everything must have a final cause: a purpose for being here as ‘nothing comes from nothing’
What did Aristotle write in his book ‘Metaphysics’?
“There must be a mover which moves them, without being moved, eternal and a substance and actual”
How could the prime mover be described?
- Necessary (doesn’t rely on anything else to exist) and eternal and never changes
- Immaterial, so can only undertake intellectual and spiritual activities
- It is a spiritual energy, pure thought and perfection
What are some weaknesses of the prime mover?
If the Prime mover is eternal thought, where did the matter that the world is made of come from?
Does there have to be a reason, or a final cause, for the existence of the Universe?
How does the eternal PM make contact with the finite world?
