Aristotle's Philosophy
by Jason Aguirre
1. Aristotle's Biology
1.1. "Metaphysics"-"All men by nature desire to know.An example is the delight we take in OUR senses."
1.2. Nothing is done by chance in nature.We have been given senses to understand the world.
1.3. To engage the problem of knowledge, we must begin with or senses.
2. How do our senses differ from other animals?
2.1. All forms of life have nutritive, reproductive and locomotive, power.
2.2. Animals differ by having the power of sensation and perception.
2.3. More complex animals have intellectual power(problem solving ability).
2.4. Humans have a special intellectual power called reason, which is the ability to comprehend universals.
3. How does Aristotle differ from Plato and Socrates?
3.1. Aristotle is a scientific and practical thinker.
3.2. Doesn't believe in the world of "being", but thinks that everything we can understand are the things we can touch.
3.3. He creates and applies a scientific model to Philosophical Investigation.
4. Teleological System
4.1. Everything in this world has causes(things that drive them to be created). Their are 4.
4.1.1. Material Cause-the material from which the thing is made.
4.1.2. Formal cause- the shape or form a thing must take in order to be recognized.
4.1.3. Efficient cause-the actual force used to make the thing.
4.1.4. Final cause- what is the ultimate purpose of the thing