Nov.

4, 2021 --- notes

Philosophical Cause Definitions

Four traditional causes:

CAUSA MATERIALIS – matter of which something is made.For anything to exist,
there must be a matter present. For example, to build a house material such as
cement, hollow blocks, steel and others are necessary however the knowledge on
building it is also important. Thus, physical material is essential, but the knowledge
is equally valuable.

CAUSA FORMULIS – form or shape into which material enters.In the house as an
example, the owner may have felt to rent an apartment near their area and would
like to re-model some parts of the apartment (may not be allowed by the owner),
shifting to a larger apartment (might be very costly), or to build a house.In the case of
the wooden table, having four legs and a flat top makes it a table.

CAUSA FINALIS – the end, what the formed thing is used for. The final cause is the
starting materials for any progress. For the house example, we can perceive it like
there is indeed a need to transfer to a new place because the space is too little for
their family. Like in case when a couple lives in a small apartment and they are
happy, but later they are expecting for a child. In the case of the table, having a
surface suitable for eating or writing on makes a table.

CAUSA EFFICIENS – agent of change. Causa efficiens discusses the "efficient cause"
in the traditional model of causality. It can be the efficient cause consists of things
apart from the thing being changed, which interact to be an agency of the change. For
example, a computer is not simply piece of LCD, circuits, and wires but it is arranged
in a way and was programmed by engineers to function as it should. In the case of
the table the efficient cause is the carpenter that acted on wood and nails. Heidegger
contends that Greek philosophy had no such classification, concentrating as an
alternative upon logos, with its roots in apophainesthai, "to bring forward into
appearance."