Theory of Causality

There are 4 kinds of causes: -

Material cause
What type of material it is made of..
The material cause points to "that from which,
as a constituent, an object comes into being."
(For instance, the bronze of a statue.)

Formal cause
What type/form of thing it is
The formal cause embodies the essential
nature (all essential attributes) and represents
the model or archetype of the outcome;
conceptually it is expressed in the definition
(logos). (It is the idea of the statue as present
in artist's head.)

Efficient cause
What caused it to come into being
The efficient cause is "the source of the
change or rest"; it is the moving cause: "what
makes of what is made and what changes of
what is changed" (the sculptor who makes the
statue).

Final cause
The function for which it is done
The final cause states "that for the sake of
which" a thing is done, or, in other words, it
explicates something's end (the final shape or
the effect on the audience which admires the
statue).