Philosophy - Aristotle

ARISTOTLE

A Greek Philosopher, taught Alexander the Great, started a famous school, studied with Plato

ARISTOTLE'S FOUR CAUSES

Used these to explain why things exist as they do

THE MATERIAL CAUSE

The matter or substance from which something is made

THE FORMAL CAUSE

What gives the matter its form or structure

THE EFFICIENT CAUSE

The cause of an object or thing existing

THE FINAL CAUSE

The reason why something is the way it is

ARISTOTLE'S PHILOSOPHY

Based on Empirical knowledge and study

REJECTED PLAT'S THEORY OF..

The Forms

DOES NOT BELIEVE IN

Dualism and Plato's understanding of the soul

ARTISTOTLE'S STANCE

Materialism and the rejection of the separation of the soul and body

THE PRIME MOVER

The unchanging cause of all that exists

THE PRIME MOVER CAUSES

The motion and change of the universe without being moved and is eternal

THE PRIME MOVER IS

Something which is eternal and must be necessarily good. Anything limiter or changing is bad, because there would always be room for improvement

THE PRIME MOVER EXISTS

By necessity

THE PRIME MOVER IS THE FINAL CAUSE

He is the one who made the first cause that has caused everything until today

THE PRIME MOVER IS LINKED WITH

Some of the roles we would understand God to have but is not God itself

THE PRIME MOVER IS RELATED TO

To the universe, as a leader and is the order of the universe

THE PRIME MOVER DOES NOT HAVE

A physical body as this is something that changes. Anything that has a body or has anything to do with this world has the potential to change.

THE PRIME MOVER CANNOT

Change, hence he cannot have a body

THE PRIME MOVER HAS

A spiritual body that is immaterial.

THE PRIME MOVER IS A FORM OF

Intelligence itself that's only role is to think about its own self

THE PRIME MOVER CAN ONLY DO

Intellectual and spiritual activies

EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS IS IN

A permanent state of movement or motion

MOTION MEANS

Change, not physical moving

ARISTOTLE'S FOUR THOUGHTS

1) The physical world is constantly in motion and change

2) The planets seem to be moving eternally

3) Change or motion is always caused by something

4) Objects in the world are in a state of potentiality or actuality

CONCLUSION OF ARISTOTLE'S THOUGHTS

There exists something that causes the change without being moved and this thing is eternal

ACTUALITY VS POTENTIALLITY

If something can change then it exists in one actual state and has the potential to become another, such as a child being a potential adult

CAPABILITY TO CHANGE MEANS

It has the potential to be something else

THEREFORE, THE PRIME MOVER IS

A being that doesn't have the potential to change but is fully actuality. This is because if it had potentiality, it would no longer be the PM

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PRIME MOVER AND THE UNIVERSE

Is very unclear

THE PRIME MOVER IS AND CANNOT

Is transcendent and cannot interact in the universe in the way that believers ofter talk about God's activity in the world

THE PRIME MOVER CAN ONLY THINK

Of itself, as it is perfect. The PM can only know itself and can't know or have a part in our lives

THE PRIME MOVER SEEMS

Unloving, as it plays no part in our lives, would the cause of the universe be like that?

IS THERE REALLY A

Final cause or purpose to the universe? Does there have to be a cause at all?

ARISTOTLE'S INFLUENCCE

On Christianity lead to the development of Christian philosophy and the arguments for the existence of God

THE PRIME MOVER THEORY INFLUENCED

Medieval thinking about God

THE PHILOSOPHY OF ARISTOTLE IS USED

To explain RC beliefs about the presence of Jesus in the bread and wine

STRENGTHS OF ARISTOTLE'S PHILOSOPHY

1) Aristotle focuses on empiricism and sensory experience, which is accessible to everybody

2) He believed that everything has a purpose, giving worth to people and objects

WEAKNESSES OF ARISTOTLE'S PHILOSOPHY

1) It is hard to understand how the Prime Mover can be powerful, yet be unable to know it. He does not know about our universe or the people who are drawn towards him

2) Where did the matter that the world is made from come from? What caused that?

3) Does there have to be a reason for the existence of the Universe?