Prime Mover-Aristotle Flashcards
What did Aristotle realise about the universe ?
Realised the universe was in constant state of change and motion
What was causing state of change and motion in the universe ?
- Therefore some kind of efficient cause/action to make motion/change happen
- Endless chain of cause and effect
What is the cause of the universe according to Aristotle ?
God
What is God according to Aristotle?
Prime mover / unmoved mover
How is God the prime mover described ?
- A cause which actualises the potential in everything else
- cause without being affected
- being with no potential
- pure actuality
- no potential to change or be acted upon
How many points for the prime mover ?
7
What does point 1 say ?
- everything that MOVES has a final cause
- something must start SERIES as nothing can come from nothing
- unmoved mover = final cause of all the final cause , unmoved mover
What does point 2 say ?
- potentially to actuality means prime mover is PURELY ACTUAL
- if it had potentially would not be immutable or unchangable
What does 3rd point say ?
Prime mover must be perfect free from change
What does point 4 say ?
Prime mover produces motion through love and perfection attracted to things through perfection
What does point 5 say ?
Transcendent, impersonal perfect being with perfect thought
What does point 6 say ?
Nothing causes it to exist so must be eternal and exists forever so cannot not exist
What does point 7 say ?
Everything in the universe has a final cause , final cause = God
According to point 1 , what does everything that move have ?
A final cause
According to point 2, what does potentially to actuality mean ?
Purely actual
