Definitions
What is cosmology?
What is teleology the study of?
Final causes/ends/purposes
What is the material cause of a wooden table?
the wood
Why is happiness the ‘final good’ according to Aristotle?
It is desired and sought only for its own sake
What is an accidental change?
A change to the form or accidents of something. e.g. hair being dyed
What is matter?
The material something is made of
What is the telos of an ear?
To hear
What is the formal cause of a wooden boat?
The form/design/shape of boat
Why is happiness self-sufficient according to Aristotle?
If it were in isolation, you would still have a good life.
What is a substantial change?
A change to the entirety of the essence or substance. e.g. a plant dies
What is form?
The shape, figure, design of a substance
What cause relates to teleology?
Final causes
What is the final cause of scissors?
To cut
What is Aristotle's view on the function of a human being?
To engage in rational activity with virtue
According to Aristotle, what is the 'soul'?
the substantial form of all living things
What is potentiality?
An inherent capacity to become something or realize its purpose
How does teleology relate to the function of something?
They are the same
What is the efficient cause of an artist building a statue?
The artist
Why is nutrition/growth and perception not the function of a human being?
Because other living creatures (plants and animals) also have those functions.
All physical substances are composed of matter and form. The form of a boat is its shape, the matter is its wood.
What is actuality?
The realization of a potential
When does something become most perfectly actual?
When it reaches its telos
Provide all 4 causes for this scenario:
An engineer builds a cement bridge.
Material: cement
Formal: bridge structure
Efficient: engineer
Final: to cross over between 2 places
How does happiness relate to the function of a human being? What is happiness?
It is the same as their function: rational activity in accordance with virtue.
What is a real world example of potentiality and actuality?
A seed is potentially a tree, and then it grows and actually becomes one.