Aristotle's Philosophy PDF

1. What does metaphysics mean? Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality, being, and the fundamental principles that structure the universe, beyond the physical and empirical sciences. 2. What does ontology mean? Ontology is the study of being, existence, and th...

1. What does metaphysics mean? Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality, being, and the fundamental principles that structure the universe, beyond the physical and empirical sciences. 2. What does ontology mean? Ontology is the study of being, existence, and the categories of being. It investigates what entities exist and how they can be grouped, related, or categorized. 3. What does ousia mean? Ousia is a Greek term often translated as "substance" or "essence." For Aristotle, it refers to what a thing is fundamentally, its essential nature or being. 4. What does hule mean? Hule (or "matter") refers to the underlying material or substance that constitutes the physical aspects of things, contrasted with their form (morphe). 5. What does teleology mean? Teleology is the study of purpose or design in nature, emphasizing the idea that things have an inherent goal or function (telos). 6. What are the four ways Aristotle understands first philosophy? 1. The study of being qua being (being as such). 2. Investigation of first causes or principles. 3. Examination of substances and their essence. 4. Study of immovable, eternal entities (e.g., the Prime Mover). 7. What are the four causes of Aristotle? 1. Material Cause: What something is made of. 2. Formal Cause: The form or essence of a thing. 3. Efficient Cause: The agent or process that brings it into being. 4. Final Cause: The purpose or goal (telos) of the thing. 8. What are the four ways Being is understood by Aristotle? 1. As categories: Different modes of existence (e.g., substance, quality, quantity). 2. As truth: The correspondence between thought and reality. 3. As potentiality and actuality. 4. As the primary sense of being: Substance or ousia. 9. What are the four understandings of substance? 1. Individual entities (primary substances). 2. Essence or form of a thing. 3. Underlying matter. 4. The combination of form and matter in concrete beings. 10. What is prime matter for Aristotle? Prime matter is pure potentiality, the underlying substrate that can take on any form but has no actual characteristics on its own. 11. Why can’t matter be a substance? Matter lacks actuality or form and thus cannot exist independently. Substance requires a unity of form and matter. 12. What are the different positions on motion for Aristotle? Heraclitean: Emphasizes change and flux as fundamental. Parmenidean: Denies the reality of change, viewing being as static.  Aristotle reconciles these by positing potentiality and actuality as the basis for motion. 13. Why are the Milesian philosophers important for Aristotle in terms of causation? The Milesians (e.g., Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes) introduced the idea of underlying principles and substances (e.g., water, air) that form the basis of natural phenomena, paving the way for Aristotle’s exploration of causes. 14. Why is Anaxagoras important for Aristotle? Anaxagoras introduced the concept of Nous (Mind) as a governing principle, influencing Aristotle’s idea of an intelligent cause behind the cosmos. 15. What is the Prime Mover for Aristotle? The Prime Mover is the unmoved, eternal, and immaterial cause of all motion in the universe. It is pure actuality, without potentiality. 16. Why can’t the Prime Mover have any matter or potentiality? Matter implies potentiality, which entails change. The Prime Mover must be purely actual and unchanging to serve as the ultimate cause. 17. What is Aristotle’s critique of Plato? What does he borrow and reject? Borrowed: The importance of forms and essence. Rejected: Plato’s separation of forms from material reality; Aristotle argued that forms exist within things, not apart. 18. What is the difference between primary and secondary substance? Primary substance: Individual entities (e.g., a specific tree).  Secondary substance: Universal categories or essences (e.g., "tree-ness"). 19. What does potentiality solve for Aristotle when it comes to Parmenides? Potentiality explains how change and motion are possible without contradiction, bridging the static being of Parmenides with the dynamic flux of reality. 20. What is the relationship between potentiality and actuality in Aristotle? Potentiality is the capacity for change, while actuality is the realization of that capacity. All things move from potentiality to actuality. 21. What is the main difference between the Prime Mover and the Christian idea of God? The Prime Mover is an impersonal force concerned only with itself, while the Christian God is a personal, relational deity involved with creation. 22. What is the One in Plotinus? The One is the ultimate, ineffable source of all reality in Plotinus’ philosophy, beyond being and intellect. 23. What are the three hypostases? 1. The One: The source of all existence. 2. Nous (Intellect): The realm of forms and pure thought. 3. Psyche (Soul): The intermediary between the material and the divine. 24. What is the logic of emanation in Plotinus? Emanation describes how all reality flows from the One in a hierarchical order, with each level of being radiating from its predecessor while remaining dependent on the One. 25. What is apophatism? Apophatism is a theological approach that describes God or ultimate reality through negation, emphasizing what it is not, rather than what it is.