Aristotle The Four Causes PowerPoint Presentation, PPT

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The world is constantly changing…. Things grow and decay…. Everything is caused by something else…. A B C Forever?. B is caused by C. A is caused by B. Aristolte. wonders. : Is . this chain of cause and effect infinite?. ID: 720453

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Aristotle The Four Causes

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Aristotle
The Four Causes
The world is constantly changing…
Things grow and decay…
Everything is caused by something else…
A B C Forever?
B is caused by C
A is caused by B
Aristolte
wonders
: Is
this chain of cause and effect infinite?
Potentiality & Actuality
There are two states of being:Potentiality
– the possibility of doing something or becoming
something (‘not yet’).
Actuality
– when potential is
achieved (‘now’).
For example…
You have the potential to achieve a grade of “A” in
Theology
.
It is not yet actualised
because you haven’t achieved
it.
Just because there is the potential does not mean
that it
will
be actualised.
Potentiality 
Actuality
The sperm and the egg have the potential to become …
But something needs to cause the sperm and the egg to change from
potentiality
to
actuality
.
It cannot happen on its own.
A baby!
Aristotle was interested in the movement from potentiality to actuality…
He thought that
every
single thing that is actualised has four causes of existence:
Material
Efficient
Formal
Final
0
Material Cause
The things out of which an object is created.
1
Efficient Cause
The way in which an object is created.
2
The Formal Cause
The expression, idea or plan that led to the creation of an object. Its characteristics.
3
The Final Cause
The aim for which an object is created.
4
Each cause is a different kind of answer to the question "why?"
There are four kinds of answers to this question – answers which identify the matter, source
,
form
and end.
5
So, why is this a statue?
This is a statue
because it is made of marble
;
because Michelangelo sculpted
it
;
because
it is in the shape of David
;
because Michelangelo wanted to depict the figure of David in marble
(because he needed the money, perhaps).
6
Try identifying the Four causes of the following..
Material
Efficient
Formal
Final
Cup
Chair
Clock
Gun
Watch
Cheeseburger
Computer
Robot
Dog
Cow
7
What about a human being?
What are our
Material
Efficient
Formal
Final
c
auses?
8
Everything is caused by something else…
A B C Forever?
B is caused by C
A is caused by B
Is this chain of cause and effect infinite?
But for Aristotle this chain cannot go on forever
…
Who made the chain come into being?
9
The Prime Mover
For Aristotle, the chain of cause and effect cannot go on forever.
So we must ask what started
the
chain?
Aristotle argued there must be
something that began the chain without
itself being
part of the chain.
An Uncaused Cause
Or the Prime
(i.e. “First”) Mover
0
Where is the Prime Mover?
Everything within time and space is subject to change and we can ask of everything within the universe (even the universe itself) what caused it to be?
What
caused
everything to be or started off the chain of cause and effect must therefore be outside of time and space.
1
Classwork/Homework
On a separate piece of paperApply Aristotle’s four causes (material, efficient
,
formal
and final
) to four different objects & turn in to me.