Aristotle
ARISTOTLE NOTES
Aristotle (387-322 B.C.)
Born in Stagira
Son of the Court Physician (Wealthy, powerful)
Sent to study Plato in Athens
Teacher of Alexander the Great.
After the death of Alexander, Aristotle was charged with “Impiety of the gods” and fled Athens.
Died in exile in 322 B.C.
Philosophy
Not an idealist or mystic; common sense philosopher.
A natural scientist who wrote many books on biology, anatomy, zoology, botany, physics, and astronomy.
Disagreed with the main principles of Plato and Materialists (Democritus). Thought the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the two.
Against Plato - did not think things were shadows of immaterial Form.
Against Materialist - did not believe things randomly banged into each other to form objects.
These are contained within the thing itself and cannot be separated.
A “code” actuates the change; the code is immaterial. The code directs the thing to its end or purpose(telos) as a whole, not from an atomic level (random causes) but orchestrated by this immaterial thing.
All things are made from matter and a second basic part is form (agrees with Plato) but Form is not separate.
Form is the essence of a substance.
The form gives a substance its nature and organizes its physical character.
Form shapes it into a unique substance which distinguishes it from any other substance (Plant, animal, Human)
Each substance has its own nature or “thingness.” Plants are different in nature from animals, and animals are different from people.
Each substance can appear different than another substance of the same nature- Aristotle called this “accidental” characteristic. (height, weight, hair color, red sweet, etc.)
Form unites one thing of a kind to another thing of the same kind.
Form comes before matter- It must; the immaterial comes before the material or physical.
Cause and effect is not enough (against Materialist)
4 kinds of causes
Material, efficient, formal, final.
The final cause is the most important and contains a purpose.
Aristotle agrees that all real things exist- they have matter and non-material, immeasurable (telos)
Potential
All things in the “ordinary world” have potential. (latent capacities waiting to be actualized by something external) know this definition!!
Potential cannot actualize itself.
A potential is hidden within a thing.
Change requires things:
A substantial thing- a seed
An external cause - sun, soil, water.
Potentiality - the ability to become a tree.
Potential must exist within a thing.
They always exist together (the three things), except in God who is not in the “ordinary world”.
Nothing can achieve all its potential. Some potencies oppose each other.
Potency exists in matter, but cannot be changed without Form- Potency cannot exist independently of a thing.
Parallels to Christianity
Aristotle
Form exists prior to the matter
Before we have matter we are
We exist in Form.
Catholic Church
Soul exists before you are born.
“Before I knew you in the womb, I KNEW YOU”
Meaning - Before you were matter you existed and I knew you.
Ethics
Sophia – Theoretical wisdom with fixed truths (based on knowledge)
Phronesis – Practical wisdom that involves judgment that depends on a particular situation. (based on action)
Aristotle believes ethics falls in the realm of phronesis.
Judgment, experience, and a cultivated (practiced) character, not knowledge, determine our actions.
Plato and Socrates believe virtue is knowledge. One can be persuaded to virtue by knowledge of virtue and bad is simply being ignorant. Aristotle disagrees!
Sphere of action is changeable, judgement must also be able to change by situation (not idealistic truths)
Therefore, your judgement is crafted by cultivating your actions(practice)
A good man makes a good judge, bad men cannot see the good. (Recognition of bad can only be seen by those who do good.)
Cultivate your soul with good actions.
Good judgment will follow good actions and eventually good judgment will take over your actions.
Decisions are made through character, not knowledge.
The only way to achieve good character is through actions- HABIT.
Doing good actions comes before good judgment.
Goodness
Teleology embodies a perfectionist element. It is happiness-based.
Two core assumptions must be made:
All actions are directed toward an end (purpose)
The “end” is that which makes itself happy.
Plato wrote: “To discover what any particular thing is, one must discover how it is best for that thing to be, or act.”
Aristotle would agree and add: The good then, are those actions which lead us to happiness. Both would agree those actions are discoverable. Which also shows that our nature or Form is happiness.
Therefore, our actions are intended to move us to happiness.
So, goodness, by definition would be, any action that moves us towards our nature, our “end,” our Form or telos.
Now we understand goodness leads to happiness, so we now like all good philosophers must define “happiness.”
Happiness
Eudaimonia- It is a state of being – continuous joy in the virtuous person. Not a momentary happiness or simple pleasure like Epicurus would teach later.
Caused by being virtuous, but virtue belongs to eudaimonia! It cannot be separated from eudaimonia.
Acting virtuous comes first, then you can become virtuous, then virtuousness will take you over (become your character), then acting virtuous will be easier. Moving you to Eudaimonia. (Same idea as good judgement)
Prudence - the capacity to judge rightly the appropriateness of an action under the circumstances
Justice - giving each person his due
Temperance – self-control and moderation in acting
Fortitude - courage, is the ability to maintain one’s commitments in difficult circumstances
Cardinal virtues - “Cardinal” means hinge- upon these virtues hinges the “Good” life.
Definitions
Material Cause- The seed – Matter required to produce something.
Efficient Cause- Water, sun, soil. External substances required to help the Material Cause develop
Formal Cause- The code that will direct a thing to become what it is supposed to become (the seed to an oak tree rather than a pine tree).
Final Cause- The purpose. Why the thing is created. The most important cause. Without it the thing would not need to be created. Example, Final Cause = School building. If there was no need for a school building, you would not have blueprints (code or formal cause) nor would you have workers (efficient cause) and you would not need blocks or concrete or roofing (material cause)
Aristotle (387-322 B.C.)
Born in Stagira
Son of the Court Physician (Wealthy, powerful)
Sent to study Plato in Athens
Teacher of Alexander the Great.
After the death of Alexander, Aristotle was charged with “Impiety of the Gods”-fled Athens.
Died in exile in 322 B.C.
Philosophy
Not an idealist or mystic; common sense philosopher.
Natural scientist, wrote many books on biology, anatomy, zoology, botany, physics and astronomy.
Disagreed with the main principles of Plato and Materialists (Democritus). Thought the truth lies somewhere in the middle of the two.
Against Plato- did not think things were shadows of immaterial Form.
Against Materialist- did not believe things randomly banged into each other to form objects.
These are contained within the thing itself and cannot be separated.
A “code” actuates the change, the code is immaterial. The code directs the thing to to its end or purpose(telos), as a whole, not form an atomic level (random causes), but orchestrated by this immaterial thing.
All things are made from matter and a second basic part - Form (agrees w Plato) but Form is not separate.
Form is the essence of a substance.
Form gives substance its nature and organizes its physical character.
Form shapes it into a unique substance which distinguishes it from any other substance (Plant, animal , Human)
Each substance has its own nature or “thingness”. Plants are different in nature than animals, animals are different than people.
Each substance can appear different than another substance of the same nature- Aristotle called this “accidental” characteristics. (height, weight, hair color, red sweet, etc.)
Form unites one thing of a kind to another thing of the same kind.
Form comes before matter- It must; the immaterial comes before the material or physical.
Cause and effect is not enough (against Materialist)
4 kinds of causes
Material, efficient, formal, final.
Final cause is the most important, contains purpose.
Aristotle agrees that all real things exist- they have matter and non-material, immeasurable (telos)
Potential
All things in the “ordinary world” have potential. (latent capacities waiting to be actualized by something external) know this definition!!
Potential cannot actualize itself.
A potential is hidden within a thing.
Change requires things:
A substantial thing- a seed
An external cause - sun, soil, water.
Potentiality - the ability to become a tree.
Potential must exist within a thing.
They always exist together (the three things), except in God who is not in the “ordinary world”.
Nothing can achieve all its potential. Some potencies oppose each other.
Potency exists in matter, but cannot be changed without Form- Potency cannot exist independently of a thing.
Parallels to Christianity
Aristotle
Form exists prior to matter
Before we have matter we are
We exist in Form.
Catholic Church
Soul exists before you are born.
“Before I knew you in the womb, I KNEW YOU”
Meaning- Before you were matter= you existed and I knew you.
Ethics
Sophia – Theoretical wisdom with fixed truths
Phronesis – Practical wisdom which involves judgement that depends on a particular situation.
Aristotle believes ethics falls in the realm of phronesis.
Judgement, experience and a cultivated (practiced) character, not knowledge, determines our action.
Plato and Socrates believe virtue is knowledge. One can be persuaded to virtue by knowledge of virtue and bad is simply being ignorant. Aristotle disagrees!
Sphere of action is changeable, judgement must also be able to change by situation(not idealistic truths)
Therefore, your judgement is crafted by cultivating your actions(practice)
A good man makes a good judge, bad men cannot see the good. (Recognition of bad can only be seen by those who do good.)
Cultivate your soul with good actions.
Good judgement will follow good actions and eventually good judgement will take over your actions.
Decisions are made through character, not knowledge.
Only way to achieve good character is through actions- HABIT.
Doing good actions comes before good judgement.
Goodness
Teleology embodies a perfectionist element. It is happiness based.
Two core assumptions must be made:
All actions are directed toward an end (purpose)
The “end” is that which makes itself happy.
Plato wrote: “To discover what any particular thing is, one must discover how it is best for that thing to be, or act.”
Aristotle would agree and add: The good then, are those actions which lead us to happiness. Both would agree those actions are discoverable. Which also shows that our nature or Form is happiness.
Therefore, our actions are intended to move us to happiness.
So, goodness, by definition would be, any action that moves us towards our nature, our “end,” our Form or telos.
Now we understand goodness leads to happiness, so we now like all good philosophers must define “happiness.”
Happiness
Eudaimonia- It is a state of being – continuous joy in the virtuous person. Not a momentary happiness or simple pleasure like Epicurus would teach later.
Caused by being virtuous, but virtue belongs to eudaimonia! It cannot be separated from eudaimonia.
Acting virtuous comes first, then you can become virtuous, then virtuousness will take you over (become your character), then acting virtuous will be easier. Moving you to Eudaimonia. (Same idea as good judgement)
Prudence - the capacity to judge rightly the appropriateness of an action under the circumstances
Justice - giving each person his due
Temperance – self-control and moderation in acting
Fortitude - courage, is the ability to maintain one’s commitments in difficult circumstances
Cardinal virtues - “Cardinal” means hinge- upon these virtues hinges the “Good” life.
Definitions
Material Cause- The seed – Matter required to produce something.
Efficient Cause- Water, sun, soil. External substances required to help the Material Cause develop
Formal Cause- The code that will direct a thing to become what it is supposed to become (the seed to an oak tree rather than a pine tree).
Final Cause- The purpose. Why the thing is created. The most important cause. Without it the thing would not need to be created. For example, Final Cause = School building. If there was no need for a school building, you would not have blueprints (code or formal cause) nor would you have workers (efficient cause) and you would not need blocks or concrete or roofing (material cause)
Final Cause- The telos or fully realized structure
Prudence - the capacity to judge rightly the appropriateness of an action under
Eudaimonia - happiness, good-spiritedness - continuous joy in the virtuous person
Cardinal Virtue defines the word “cardinal” in its usage in virtue - cardinal means “to hinge” , cardinal virtues are on which the good life hinge
Ethics - what action do I choose for each situation and what is the basis for my action
Sophia - theoretical wisdom which has fixed truths based on knowledge
Phronesis - practical wisdom that involves judgment that depends on a particular situation based on actions
1.) All substances are made of what 2 things? 2 Matter and Form
2.) Are substances real?1 Yes
3.) What is Form?1 Form is the essence and the thing that gives a substance nature and organizes the matter which gives it physical character.
4.) Explain how something that has the same Form can be individually unique.2 Because although it is the Form of the thing that unites it with other things of its kind, its matter can differentiate a particular physical thing, making it distinct from all the other of its kind.
5.) How is Aristotle different than the Materialists?2 He is different because he believed in both Form and matter, meaning that things have both physical substance and metaphysical and that the immaterial aspect is embedded in each thing and is an important component.
6.) What is the most important cause and why?1 The final cause because it contains the purpose of the thing that all other causes must work to achieve.
7.) How is Aristotle statement about Form before matter much like Jerimiah’s statement in the Bible?1 His statement about Form before the matter is much like Jerimiah’s statement because they both suggest that purpose or the immaterial thing exists before physical form and matter
8.) What is potential? 1 An unrealized capability or property hidden within a thing
9.) Does everything have potential? 1 Yes
10.) Does God have potential? Why or why not? 2 No because all things that have potential are in the ordinary world and God is outside of the ordinary world. He has already reached the max of potency and therefore does not have any potential left to discover.
11.) What three things are required for change to happen?3 1. The substantial thing 2. The external cause or causes 3. The potentiality embedded within the nature of that substance
12.) What are the 2 types of ethics? 2 Sophia (theoretical wisdom which has fixed truths) and Phronesis (practical wisdom which involves judgments that depend on a particular situation.
13.) Which type of ethics does Aristotle believe is correct? 1 Phronesis
14.) Explain, “we must, like archers, have a goal to shoot at” mean in the realm of ethics? 1 It means that just like archery we need a clear goal to aim at and we need to have purpose in our moral decisions and actions
15.) According to Aristotle, what determines our action? 3 things 3 Your actions are determined by your experience, your judgment, and a cultivated or practiced character
16.) Decisions are made according to ones character. (Aristotle) 1
17.) How does one acquire the understanding of what good is? 4 (Explain the process) By doing action - by doing the good. Then you can judge the good and automatically know the good from experience.
18.) What makes a good judge? 4 (Explain the process) A good judge is by doing good and someone can become good by habitually acting virtuously. Good doings must come before good judgment.
19.) What are the two core assumptions of teleology? 2 1. All actions are directed toward some end and 2. That end which is desired for itself is happiness
20.) Briefly explain how one can attain the state of eudaimonia. Please provide the entire procedure to attain eudaimonia.4 By acting virtuous you will be brought toward eudaimonia. First, you must practice the good by doing virtuous deeds and eventually become a virtuous person.
21.) The virtues, according to Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle do not mean “socially acceptable” behavior, because that would mean they are changeable where these men believe they are eternal or truths. 3
22.) What is the difference between Aristotle and other philosophers like Plato and Socrates when it comes to ethics? 4 The difference is between their types of ethics, Plato and Socrates go with Sophia which is theoretical wisdom going with the idea of “virtue is knowledge”. Aristotle goes with the type of ethics called phronesis, practical wisdom which is with the idea that virtue comes from habitually doing actions.