Aristotle

Aristotle

1. The Four Causes

   • Material Cause
     • What an object is physically made of
     • E.g. a cake = flour, eggs, butter, sugar etc.
   • Efficient Cause
     • The agent that brings something about
     • E.g. a cake = the baker, the oven etc.
   • Formal Cause
     • The characteristics of an object that make it identifiable
     • E.g. a cake = crumbly, sweet, golden etc.
   • Final Cause
     • The aim for which the object was created
     • E.g. a cake = food <3

2. Eudaimonia

   • Means ' happiness'
     • Obtained from things such as living well, doing good, achieving well etc.
   • The fundamental goal of life
   • The only thing that people pursue for it's own sake
   • The goal that lies beneath every other goal
   • An action is judged right or wrong insofar as it leads towards or away from the good that everybody seeks
   • Achieved by living a life of reason
     • Reason being the highest of all human activities

3. What is right or wrong?

   • An action is judged right or wrong insofar as it leads towards or away from the good end that everybody seeks
     • If an action helps you attain your good end, then the action is good
   • An act is not good in and of itself, but good in so much as it accords with the human purpose
   • We establish ethical principles by working through and comparing our judgements
   • There are natural tendencies within us we should follow to help us make moral judgements
     • This is practical reason and enables us to read what is morally right or wrong in situations
     • For this to work we must be emotionally balanced
   • Living a fulfilling life for a human means ensuring that all activities are functioning well