Aristotle’sMetaphysics

phil 2002JMO 2015

Four Causes: • Formal (shape)• Material (stuff)• Final (τέλος, purpose, goal)• Efficient (cause)• Possibly: Luck/ChanceIn Alpha

The First Cause (God) • There is no such thing as infinity, or an infinite regress of causes; there must be a final explanation, else explanations or causes will regress forever and we'll never have a final explanation• Therefore causes must come to an end• This end is God• Alpha the lesser (source)

Four Rejections of Plato’s Forms: • 3rd Man argument (Forms of Forms), given in ZetaArguments from Alpha:• Recollection is not proof of reincarnation; it’s just from seeing things many times, leading to a general memory of a form/shape• How do things “partake”?• Occam's Razor: Don't multiply things unnecessarily• Other criticisms exist, feel free to mention/ use them; these are the main ones.

Substance is Primary (not Forms): • Substance means matter + form, stuff and shape• Hylomorphic: hylos = wood, morphic = shape; think of a carved statue: matter plus form• Substance = essence = the primary thing• "Said of" : if X can be said of something, X is not primary. If Y cannot be said of something, but rather other things, X, Z, A, B, C... are said of Y, then Y is primary. "Red" is said of a car, so car is primary.

Actual and Potential: • Potential becomes actual. Matter/stuff is potential; it can become something.• Actual is once a bit of matter (stuff) has been formed.• Potential = change = movement• Actual is destroyed to create new things.

Such vs This: • "This" is a particular thing and is primary, a substance.• "Such" is a type and is not primary, because it is "said of" a "this"• "Thisness" or "Haeccity" is the condition of being a particular thing or substance.

Accidental vs Necessary: • Necessary: that without which a thing would not be or become. E.g. Socrates is necessarily a man, without which he is not Socrates.• Accidental: a property which if removed would still leave the thing intact as the same thing. E.g. Socrates is musical. Even if he isn't, he's still Socrates.

Do not confuse!

Four Types of Being • Accidental being — contingent properties, caused by chance (accidental cause), cause type five above.• Being as truth — logically necessary truths, existing in the mind.• The category of being — substance (shape)• Being in actuality vs being in potentiality

From The Categories• Categories of Being• Doing; undergoing• Location; position• Possession (properties)• Quality; quantity• Relation• Substance• Time