1. Starter Aristotle’s Four Causes
Complete a speech bubble for Plato and Aristotle

2. What caused this?

3. All students will be able to explain Aristotle’s 4 causes.
Learning Outcomes
All students will be able to explain Aristotle’s 4 causes.
(grade E & D)
MOST students will be able to analyse Aristotle’s 4 causes in relation to actuality & potentiality
(grade C)
SOME students will be able to evaluate Aristotle’s 4 causes to determine whether it proves there is a Prime Mover
(grade B & A)

4. The world is constantly changing…

5. Things grow and decay…

6. Everything is caused by something else…
A B C Forever?
B is caused by C
A is caused by B
Is this chain of cause and effect infinite?

7. Potentiality & Actuality
There are two states of being: Potentiality – the possibility of doing something or becoming something. Actuality – when potential is achieved.
Making Links
Your Task:
Give an example of a thing that has POTENTIALITY and how it can become a thing of ACTUALITY

8. You have to work hard to achieve that A!
For example…
You have the potential to achieve a grade A in AS Religious Studies.
It is not yet actualised because you haven’t achieved it yet.
Just because there is the potential does not mean it will definitely be actualised.
You have to work hard to achieve that A!

9. Potentiality to Actuality
The sperm and the egg have the potential to become …

10. It cannot happen on its own.
But something needs to cause the sperm and the egg to change from potentiality to actuality.
It cannot happen on its own.

11. Aristotle was interested in the movement from potentiality to actuality…
He thought that everything single thing that is actualised has four causes of existence:
Material
Efficient
Formal
Final

12. Material Cause
The things out of which an object is created.

13. Efficient Cause
The way in which an object is created.

14. The Formal Cause
The expression, idea or plan that led to the creation of an object. Its characteristics.

15. The Final Cause
The aim for which an object is created.

16. What caused this?
Material Cause:
What is it made of?
Efficient Cause: How does it happen? Not just the person
Formal Cause
What are its characteristics?
Final Cause
What is it for? The purpose

17. What are the causes of these?

18. Try identifying the Four causes of the following..
Material
Efficient
Formal
Final
Cup
Chair
Clock
Gun
Watch
Beef burger
Computer
Camera
Dog
Cow

19. What about a human being?
What are our Material Efficient Formal Final causes?

20. What are our Material Efficient Formal Final causes?
What about the earth?
What are our Material Efficient Formal Final causes?

21. Everything is caused by something else…
A B C Forever?
B is caused by C
A is caused by B
Is this chain of cause and effect infinite?
But for Aristotle this chain cannot go on forever… Who made the chain come into being?

22. The Prime Mover
For Aristotle the chain of cause and effect cannot go on forever.
So we must ask what started off the chain?
Aristotle argued there must be a thing that started it with out itself being caused.
An Uncaused Cause
Or the Prime (meaning first) Mover

23. Where is the Prime Mover?
Everything within time and space is subject to change and we can ask of everything within the Universe, even the universe itself, what caused it to be?
What causes everything to be or started off the chain of cause and effect must therefore be outside of time and space.

24. Homework
“Aristotle has got it right.” Do you agree?

25. Aristotle’s 4 Causes Learning Outcomes Review and Reflect:
All students will be able to explain Aristotle’s 4 causes.
(grade E & D)
Review and Reflect:
Summarise what you have learnt today.
Write 10 bullet points
MOST students will be able to analyse Aristotle’s 4 causes in relation to actuality & potentiality
(grade C)
SOME students will be able to evaluate Aristotle’s 4 causes to determine whether it proves there is a Prime Mover
(grade B & A)