Aristotle: - Cause - Cosmology - Prime or Unmoved Mover

Aristotle’s 4 Causes; Material – the parts; ‘what is it made of?’ Efficient – the creation; ‘what makes it?’, ‘how did it happen?’ Formal – the identity (form); ‘what are its characteristics?’, ‘what gives it shape leading to identification?’ Final – the purpose; ‘what is the reason for its existence?’

The Final Cause The final cause is the most important as it controls, integrates and determines the other causes. For Aristotle you cannot explain CAUSE fully without reference to PURPOSE (telos - Greek). Aristotle explains that the soul is the Final Cause of humans (as well as the Formal Cause) and that God is the Final Cause of the world.

Aristotle’s Universe The Earth is at the centre of the universe. A ‘geocentric’ model. The sun, moon, planets and stars are suspended in 8 concentric, crystalline spheres. These rotate around a stationary Earth in a regular and perfect motion. The substance of these heavens is called, ‘quintessence’. It is perfect, unchanging and not found on Earth. Earth however is imperfect and changeable. Force can be applied and movement results.

 Aristotle’s Universe TASK 1: Read, highlight and annotate the text extract from Jonathan Barnes’ ‘Aristotle; A Very Short Introduction’ Add comments and simple summaries of the following, using sketches if appropriate;  Aristotle’s Universe  The Unmoved Mover  References to God

Concerns: 1. If God started everything - being the ‘Prime Mover’ - what caused God? 2. Surely to move things the mover must itself move - be active? A common misunderstanding of Aristotle… That the universe is finite (has a beginning / end) Aristotle believed in an infinite universe, within which was a finite, changeable, imperfect Earth. This misunderstanding occurs when we take Aristotle’s God to be the EFFICIENT cause rather than the FINAL cause, or purpose.

God as the Final Cause; the UNMOVED MOVER Everything moves. Movement must be caused and supported by something that is itself uncaused. God is this uncaused and unmoving thing. God causes movement through thought, desire and love. MOVEMENT IS THE RESULT OF THINGS BEING DRAWN (like a magnet) TO THEIR FINAL PURPOSE, RATHER THAN BEING PUSHED (a positive, active force).

TASK 2: In pairs generate a list of key words to describe Aristotle’s God e.g., Prime Mover; unchanging Resources Barnes handout; Prime Mover handout (from ‘Foundation..’ text pages 24 – 26) and your own ideas

Descriptive words for Aristotle’s God Perfection Thinks about himself. Distant from world. External. Immaterial. Originator of change. Original source. Divine. Unaffected. Eternal. Outside universe. Causing yet uncaused. Heavenly. Final Cause Absence of actuality. Primary divinity. Beyond other heavenly bodies. Object of everything. Desire.Love. Changeless. Originator of all. Teleology / Purpose. Life and duration continuous and belong to God. First source of movement. Activity of God is thought. First of all substances. Unaffected. Prime Mover. Eternal. Better state, Perfect. Divine. Self dependent. Unmoved mover, Uncaused Causer. Incorporeal. Immaterial. Exists of necessity.

TASK 3: Think of possible criticisms of Aristotle’s God. There is no need for a Final Cause, the universe could have come about as the result of chance. Even if there were a Final Cause and Ultimate Purpose there are other explanations such as Darwin’s evolutionary theory. The notion of God causing things to move through thought and love seems problematic, how can something unmoving, move something else? This is a move away from his previously grounded, science based approach to knowledge.