‎INTEREST-RELATIVE or SUBJECTIVE

‎ omething's qualifying as an explanation

S
‎simply consists in its satisfying a curiosity

‎ n explanation requires grasping the primary

A
‎cause of what we want explained. A primary
‎cause is what in fact makes it the case that a
‎OBJECTIVE ‎certain state of affairs obtains

‎ explains y just in case (i) x and y are states of

x ‎What is a CAUSAL RELATION?
‎affairs in the world, and (ii) states of affairs of 
‎the x-type cause states of affairs of the y-type ‎Genuine connections are CAUSAL

‎ hen causal relations obtains and when they

W
‎αἰτίαι
‎ hat makes a connection between states of
W ‎do not?
‎affairs suitable to ground an objective ‎FOUR KIND OF CAUSES
‎ ristotle doubts that all causal explanations are of
A
‎explanation?
‎a single unified sort

‎ t the root of Aristotle's approach to causation

A
‎is a DISTINCTION AMONG KINDS OF CAUSES

‎Explaining explaining: ‎ wo conceptions of what explaining

T ‎ OUR-CAUSAL ACCOUNT OF
F

‎consists in ‎EXPLANATORY ADEQUACY
‎The four causes
‎Phys. 194b23–35 ἕ‎ να μὲν οὖν τρόπον αἴτιον λέγεται τὸ ἐξ οὗ
‎γίγνεταί τι ἐνυπάρχοντος, οἷον ὁ χαλκὸς τοῦ
‎ἀνδριάντος καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος τῆς φιάλης καὶ τὰ
‎τούτων γένη·

‎ ne way in which cause is spoken of is that out of which a thing comes to be

O
‎MATERIAL CAUSE ‎and which persists, e.g. the bronze of the statue, the silver of the bowl, and the
‎genera of which the bronze and the silver are species.

‎ λλον δὲ τὸ εἶδος καὶ τὸ παράδειγμα, τοῦτο δ’

ἄ
‎ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος ὁ τοῦ τί ἦν εἶναι καὶ τὰ τούτου
‎γένη (οἷον τοῦ διὰ πασῶν τὰ δύο πρὸς ἕν, καὶ
‎ὅλως ὁ ἀριθμός) καὶ τὰ μέρη τὰ ἐν τῷ λόγῳ

I‎ n another way cause is spoken of as the form or the pattern, i.e. what is
‎mentioned in the account (logos) belonging to the essence and its genera, e.
‎FORMAL CAUSE
‎g. the cause of an octave is a ratio of 2:1, or number more generally, as well
‎as the parts mentioned in the account (logos) I‎ n the vast majority of cases a complete and
‎adequate explanation must cite all four causes
ἔ‎ τι ὅθεν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς μεταβολῆς ἡ πρώτη ἢ τῆς ‎TWO CLAIMS
‎ἠρεμήσεως, οἷον ὁ βουλεύσας αἴτιος, καὶ ὁ πα- ( ‎ here are NO kinds of causes beyond the four
T
‎30) τὴρ τοῦ τέκνου, καὶ ὅλως τὸ ποιοῦν τοῦ ‎enumerated
‎ποιουμένου καὶ τὸ μεταβάλλον τοῦ
‎μεταβαλλομένου

‎ urther, the primary source of the change and rest is spoken of as a cause, e.
F
‎g. the man who deliberated is a cause, the father is the cause of the child,
‎EFFICIENT CAUSE
‎and generally the maker is the cause of what is made and what brings about
‎change is a cause of what is changed.

ἔ‎ τι ὡς τὸ τέλος· τοῦτο δ’ ἐστὶν τὸ οὗ ἕνεκα, οἷον

‎τοῦ περιπατεῖν ἡ ὑγίεια· διὰ τί γὰρ περιπατεῖ;
‎φαμέν “ἵνα ὑγιαίνῃ”, καὶ εἰπόντες οὕτως οἰόμεθα
‎ἀποδεδωκέναι τὸ αἴτιον.

‎ urther, the end (telos) is spoken of as a cause. This is that for the sake of
F
‎which (hou heneka) a thing is done, e.g. health is the cause of walking about.
‎FINAL CAUSE
‎‘Why is he walking about?’ We say: ‘To be healthy’ – and, having said that, we
‎think we have indicated the cause.