Aristotle's Idea Of The Four Causes

Aristotle’s Idea of the Four Causes

Aristotle explained that things could be seen in four different ways. He named these the four causes. These were the material, formal, efficient and the final cause. “Aition” is the nearest translation for the word cause, which means a responsible explanatory factor.

The material cause, this answers the question what is it made of? One example could be a clay pot, this is made from clay. But Aristotle argued that the material is not enough on it’s own to make it what it is. The material cause is necessary but it does not give us the whole answer. Aristotle explained that the material cause expresses the “substance” of an object.

In the example of a clay pot

If you are asking what are it’s characteristics then you are talking about the formal cause.

The efficient cause is the thing that happens to bring about certain results. For instance in my example of a clay pot it would be the person who gas made the clay pot, the act of the person forming the shape of their clay pot. This is the cause that brings the substance of the object into a particular form. In the efficient cause “potentiality” is turned into “actuality” the person sees the potentiality of the clay and actualises it by making it into a clay pot. The efficient cause connects the material cause to the formal cause.

Lastly there is the final cause. Aristotle believed this to be the most important. He believed that all objects have an ultimate reason for their existence. The purpose of an object is part of the object itself. The clay pot’s final cause is to put flowers in or to store water, Aristotle pointed out there can be many final causes. “You cannot remove an arrow from its straightness” here Aristotle was saying that its purpose is already there is intrinsic. The question to ask when discussing the final cause is, what is it