Nature: A Final Cause in Aristotle's Physics
To understand Aristotle's argument in Physics ii ,8, that "nature [is] among the causes that are for something" (198b10), it is first necessary to understand exactly what Aristotle means when he refers to "nature." When Aristotle uses the word, "nature," it "applies to any and all things that are by nature, without exception" (Lang 40). According to Aristotle, natural things are unique because "each of them has within itself a principle of motion and stability in place, in growth and decay, or in alteration" (Physics ii, 1, 192b14-15). Aristotle finds that "only certain things have such inner sources of motion" (Sachs 56), and these "forms" of nature "include animals and plants, their parts, and the four elements, earth, air, fire and water" (Lang 40). It is important to note, however, that things made up of the four elements, such as a statue that is made of earth and water, are not considered natural. Only the elements that it consists of are considered natural. In oth!er words, a statue is not natural because it is a statue; its elements are natural because they are elements and not because they make up a statue. It is also important to note that when Aristotle refers to the internal principle of motion or change, h
An assessment of the conclusion that "nature [is] a final cause" can only be fairly conducted in the internal grounds of Aristotle's argument. If taken out of context and placed in the world of modern science, Aristotle's arguments that nature has an internal principle of change and that nature is a "final cause" may seem to have strong theological overtones that do not belong within the realm of science. However, those who dismiss Aristotle's arguments as not applicable or useful to modern scholarship fail to recognize that "the power of Aristotle's arguments lies not in their specific content [...] but in the patterns and elegance exhibited by their formal structure" (Lang 288). Kept within the grounds of Aristotle's own time and work, his conclusion that "nature [is] among the causes that are for something" seems to be particularly strong. He clearly defines nature as having an innate principle of chance and henceforth describes why nature is a "final cause" after introd! Though, with this example, Aristotle has proven that "nature [is] among the causes that are for something," a discussion of what Aristotle's four causes of change, described in Physics ii, 3&7, only clarifies Aristotle's conclusion. Aristotle's four causes of change are given the following names: the material cause, the formal cause, the efficient cause, and the final cause. The material cause refers to what something is made of; the formal cause refers to what something is, or its essence; the efficient cause refers to what creates that something, or what initiates the change in order to bring about that something; and the final cause is what that something is for, or the goal, end, or purpose for doing something. It has already bee made clear that, according to Aristotle, a process that has been proven to be teleological yields a good result that is said to be an "end." This "end," in other words, is the "final cause." The definition of the "final cause" can be worded ! heir parts do so always or for the most part. These processes are similarly teleological. ucing the contrast between teleological and coincidental processes. Confined to the internal grounds of Aristotle's arguments, works, and era, an assessment of the conclusion that nature is a "final cause" determines that it is impressively successful, as Aristotle masters the formal structure of the argument. Aristotle's definition of nature and his explanation of the differences between coincidence and teleology are important in understanding his assertion in Physics ii, 8, 198b10, that "nature [is] among the causes that are for something." Since nat
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Approximate Word count = 1767
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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