Question

. Explain Aristotle’s theory of the four causes

Answer 1

To explain the changes that happens in the world, Aristotle asserts that four causes are required.

The material cause - every thing is made up of some matter. For example the human body of made up of cells. Electronic devices are made of transistors and other electronic components, Wooden Furnmitures are made up of wood.
There are two types of material causes:
1.Proximate matter -It is a matter that has some qualities.
2.Prime matter - This matter has no quality at all.
According to Aristotle although prime matter have no existence but it was necessary for theory purpose.

The formal cause- This cause gives an individuality or distinction to a thing. A human body has functions and properties that comes from a certain alignment of the right kind of cells doing the right kind of things and that what makes the difference between a trivial collection of cells and a human body.

The efficient cause - This cause is the agent or catalyst which actually brings something into being. . Every change is caused by an efficient cause. If a ball broke a window, then the ball is the efficient cause of the window breaking.

The final cause - This cause is the ultimate motive for being.Efficient causes do what they do and why formal causes do what they do for final cause. Why do balls break windows? As the balls are hard and windows are brittle, they break windows. This is the final cause.