Aristotles Metaphysics

Born at Stagira in northern Greece in 384 BC.

367 347 BC Student at Platos Academy.
Was not named head of Academy when Plato died;
so, left Athens.
Went to Macedonia and became tutor of the
Alexander the Great when Alexander was 12 (343
BC).
After Alexander became Emperor of all Greece,
returned to Athens and founded his own school, the
Lyceum in 335 BC.

 After Alexander died (323 BC), anti-Macedonian

feelings in Athens forced Aristotle to leave, as he
did not wish to suffer Socrates fate.
Died one year later in Chalcis.
Only about one fourth of Aristotles writings have
survived. Most were lost when the Romans,
accidentally, burned down the great library of
Alexandria, Egypt in 47 BC.
All the works Aristotle had polished for publication
were destroyed, including many dialogues in the
style of Plato but said to be infinitely superior in
literary and philosophical quality.

 The works we have left are, essentially,

the lecture notes Aristotle used for
teaching at the Lyceum.
Still, in the Middle Ages, Aristotle was
called, simply, The Philosopher.
In his Divine Comedy, Dante christened
Aristotle The Master of All Who Know.

Aristotles Critique of Plato

The Problem of Chorismos
Chorismos is Greek for separation.
In Platos metaphysics, there is too much of a
separation between the Forms and sensible
objects for the Forms to be the sources of
material objects.
Platos attempts at explaining the relationship
between the Forms and sensible objects are
merely empty words and poetical metaphors.

 The Problem of Change

Plato maintained that there is change
in the World of Becoming.
Plato, however, did NOT explain how
this change occurs.
Indeed, why should there be change
in the World of Becoming anyway,
since its supposed to be a copy of
the changeless World of Being?

Hylomorphic Composition
From two Greek words
hyle, meaning matter
morphe, meaning form
There is only one world, the world of
substances.
Substance: A fundamental entity. It
results from the union of matter and form.
Matter: That which gets organized
and structured.

 Form: That which organizes and

structures.
Plato maintained that the Forms are
transcendent realities.
Aristotle maintained that form is
immanent in particular substances.
Stuffed animal analogy
Matter is like the stuffing.
Form is like the outer skin.

 Matter and form are distinct but indivisible.

Neither pure form nor pure matter exists.
They exist only united to one another in
particular substances.
E. g. tableness does NOT exist apart from
particular tables in some fantastic World of
Being. Tableness exists only in particular
tables.
While they are indivisible, matter and form
are distinct because, if they were not,
substantial change would be impossible.

Substantial Change
Substantial change is the corruption
(destruction) of one substance and the
generation (production) of another.
E. g. the formation of a water molecule.
In uniting, two atoms of hydrogen and one
atom of oxygen cease to be hydrogen and
oxygen.
These separate substances cease to be
and a new substance, the water molecule,
is generated (i. e. it starts to be.)

 In uniting, the matter of the hydrogen

atoms and of the oxygen atom has been
put into a new form, waterness.
The matters being put into a new form
destroys the previous substances, the
hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and
generates a new one, the water molecule.
The water molecule is NOT a composite of
three parts (two parts hydrogen and one
part oxygen).
The water molecule is one, unified
substance.

 Direct analogy to biological generation.

When sperm and ovum unite, the result,
the zygote, is NOT a composite (one
part sperm and one part ovum).
The zygote is one unified substance. It
was generated when the matter of the
sperm and of the ovum was put into a
new form, zygoteness.

Accidental Change
A substances losing or gaining a characteristic
(an accident) while remaining the same
substance.
Dismantling a table and using the wood to
make a chair is an example of substantial
change. The matter of the table has been put
into a new form.
Painting a brown table red is an example of
accidental change. The table both loses an
accident (browness) and gains one (redness)
while remaining the same table.

An Important Distinction
Prime Matter: The fundamental stuff
out of which substances are generated.
Aristotelian prime matter is not unlike
modern physics mass/energy.
Second Matter: The substance(s) from
which a new substance is generated
when the prime matter of the original
substance(s) is put into a new form, e.g.
wood is the second matter of a wooden
table.

The Four Causes

Material Cause: The second matter of
a present substance.
Formal Cause: The form the prime
matter has taken in a present
substance.
Efficient Cause: Whatever generated
a present substance.
Final Cause: The purpose for which a
present substance was generated.

What are the Four Causes?

A Statue of Socrates
Material Cause: Marble
Formal Cause: Statueness of Socrates
Efficient Cause: Sculptor
Final Cause: To honor Socrates

A Shirt
Material Cause: Fabric
Formal Cause: Shirtness
Efficient Cause: Shirt Maker
Final Cause: To keep someone warm.
A Wig
Material Cause: Real or synthetic hair
Formal Cause: Wigness
Efficient Cause: Wig Maker
Final Cause: To make someone look and/or
better.

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