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How Does Aristotle Arrive at His Four Causes (aitia)? Are They Best Thought of as 'Causes'?
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HOW DOES ARISTOTLE ARRIVE AT HIS FOUR CAUSES (AITIA)? ARE THEY BEST THOUGHT OF AS 'CAUSES'? Aristotle pondered the four 'Causes' (the Aitia meaning responsible factor) to try and figure out why the world moved and changed as it did/does. It seems he was carrying on from where his teacher Plato finished with the forms and was trying to find a better solution. The arguments in the first book of Physics show that it is possible to have genuine scientific understanding of a 'pluralistic' world in constant change. However in the second book, Aristotle tries to outline the key concepts under which the explanation of the world proceeds. In order to know a thing, anything at all, Aristotle says that one must be able to answer four questions. (I will try and comment on what I believe was Aristotle's thought process after each point) 1. The material cause: the matter out of which...
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