THE THEORY OF CAUSES IN ARISTOTLE’S METAPHYSICS

Abstract

The essence of this article concerns the first alpha book of Aristotle's Metaphysics, in which he exposes the history of causes (aitía). The main objective is explain how is the apprehension of objects in the world by means causes, because we can only know things based on them. Aristotle identifies four types of cause: (1) there is the material cause, which is directly related to the matter of the object. (2) Then, there is the formal cause, concerning the form or essence of the thing. (3) The efficient cause, in turn, allows to establish what made possible the existence of an object. (4) Already the fourth and final cause gives us the reason for something to exist, i.e., the finality of the object, which Aristotle calls of final cause. In short, Aristotle makes a valuable analysis of Platonic philosophy in the light of pre-Socratic philosophers to complement the philosophy of nature and refute the world's division (between sensible and intelligible) to establish your own view about the theory of causes.