Fides et Ratio Flashcards
What does “agere sequitur esse” mean?
It means “action follows being,” the metaphysical and moral principle that indicates the connection among ontology, obligation and ethics.
Essentially, it means that all ethics are rooted in metaphysics and we cannot ask “what we should do” without knowing “who we are.”
The world of philosophy rested on this principle for over of two millennia until Descartes gave us a more familiar maxim – COGITO ERO SUM – translated, ‘I think, therefore I am.’ This flipped the world of philosophy on its head. Rather than being having primacy in the defining conceptualization of the human person action, doing, has the primacy.
What does the philosophical term “formal cause” mean for Aristotle?
The formal cause is the form, or essence, of something, that which it strives to be.
In the case of a statue, the form of the statue exists both in the mind of the artist and potentially in the marble itself.
What does the philosophical term “material cause” mean for Aristotle?
The material cause is the stuff out of which something is made.
In the case of a statue, it is a chunk of marble that is to become a statue.
What does the philosophical term “efficient cause” mean for Aristotle?
The efficient (moving) cause is the actual force which bring about the change.
In the case of a statue, it is the sculptor’s chisel that chips the block of stone as well as the sculptor himself.
What does the philosophical term “final cause” mean for Aristotle?
The final cause is the purpose, end or aim of something.
Aristotle claims that everything has a teleological orientation and, to the highest level of its essence, strives toward the good. In the case of the statue, the final cause and ultimate purpose of the object is the beautification of the Parthenon.
Who was the founder of “phenomenology?”
Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) founded a philosophy he called “phenomenology” meaning “the study of appearances.”
