Aristotle-Part 2

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FORM:
-Form is the most important aspect of any existing thing.
Example: the value of a chair, not because it has wood, but
because it has the form. Either of a dining chair or an office
chair. Therefore, form is the real thing about the world.
- Form can't exist by itself. It must have a substratum of
matter.
- Form is the universal. Example: [Redness, blueness). But
forms can't exist by themselves. What exists is a green leaf or
blue book, Green-ness or blue-ness does not exist apart from
green or blue things. Hence neither form/matter exists. What
exist is the formed matter, in an inseparable relation
- We can distinguish, form & matter in our thoughts but we
can't separate them in actual state of affairs therefore Aristotle
has accepted formed matter to be the actual substance.
- According to Aristotle, matter is not just physical matter but
is relative to the form. Physical matter remains the same.
Example: Iron remains iron, no matter what shape or size it
takes.
- For Aristotle, Form is not just physical shape. Example:
“Rectangle remains the same shape, no matter in how many
things it is found. Therefore, form means much more than the
shape and size.
- Aristotle has accepted form and matter as relative terms,
what is matter in one relation becomes form in another
relation. Example: Wood is matter in relation to the chair but
chair is matter in relation to sofa. Therefore form and matter
are fluid. There is an ability to change.
- In the Language of W.T Stace, “What becomes is the matter,
what it becomes is form”.

FORMED MATTER
- It is the substance for Aristotle, it signifies the inseparable
relation between form and matter.
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Matter Formed MATTER Form

(Potentiality) (Actuality)
(pure form)
(God)
(Actus purus)
God - Purest form - Actus purus.
Evolution
1
growth Form/matter
change -
Form/matter
Formed matter
decay Form/matter

(materia prima)
(This evolution is
unconscious actualization
or teleology.)

In the Continuum of formed matter or materia prima at one and

pure form known as God at other end. The complete continuum
accepts two extremes while the objective world is made up of
formed matter. According to Aristotle, the extreme two ends are
Logical possibilities and not actual possibilities.

"POTENTIALITY & ACTUALITY"

“Potentiality"
- matter by itself has no form. It can be said as absolute formless,
flawless and purposeless.
- Potentiality means possibility and uncertainty while actuality
means purpose, action, and energy.
- Matter is not non-being and as it can become anything by the
generating principle of form.
Example: Clay by itself is nothing but it has the potentiality to
become either a brick or a box, or an utensil. This possibility
inherent in matter is called Potentiality by Aristotle.
In other words, matter has the capacity to become something
actual, Potentiality means uncertainty which is indescribable.

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Actuality"
- what makes the matter actual is, form.
Example: Potter uses his skills with the idea of brick in his
mind shaping the indeterminate clay (matter) into actual
bricks. Hence form is the principle of actualization. All things
are caught up in development from less to more development.
- It is the form which leads to unfoldment.
Example: In case of an organism matter and form or
potentiality and actuality work together inseparably
Example: The end of becoming a chick is a fertilised egg. The
fertilized egg has potential to become chick but it is actualized
only when the form of a chick actualizes itself in the egg.

"Teleological evolution"
-In human production, matter is given a form with conscious
teleology. Example: Potter changes the clay into pot with the
purpose to hold water. When Aristotle compares human
production with divine production, he also integrates the
concept of teleology. Aristotle therefore gave teleological
explanation of this world but accepted it to be unconscious
teleology that is not in the control of our mind.

- According to Aristotle all things in the world are arranged

in a hierarchical order. Here individual men come under the
species of men, which in turn comes under animal class, then
under classification of beings. As a natural scientist Aristotle
has applied his teleological evolution or unfoldment to the
natural science. He graded the order of natural science in two
classes, where one class like species of man may be called
matter in relation to the class of animals, which will be its
form. But this higher order itself becomes the matter in
relation to the still higher “creature." In this arrangement of
classes at the top of the hierarchy is matterless form (Actus-
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NOTE: Aristotle believes this universe is eternal and in

movement with its hierarchical order. Each rung of the ladder is
having its own form and all these rungs are in movement. And
this movement isn’t random but teleological, that is the
movement is towards the unmoved mover. At the top is the
actuality with no potentiality and at the base there is
potentiality but no actuality.

CONCEPT OF GOD
- For Aristotle, universe is eternal and in movement. Aristotle
accepts the Independent being which moves everything without
itself being moved, i.e. the unmoved mover, or the prime mover.
According to Aristotle, the world & universe exist because there is
never ending activity in it.

Example: When A is moved by B, and B in turn moves C and

moves D and so on, but in this movement, we continue finding
the cause of movement this will be an infinite series. For the
universe to be eternal these must be entity/mover which keeps on
moving others without getting moved itself. This is known as
Prime mover/God.

- All things are moved by God but the god itself remains
unmoved.

- The pure form of Aristote is similar to that of “Idea of Good” in

Plato’s philosophy. Aristotle uses the words like, “Idea of Good".
Plato has described in similar manner as Idea of Good, unmoved
mover, (immovable, unchangeable, etc. Pure form is that which
is incorporated as the final cause of all things. God is also
wholly immaterial, pure rationality, or the rational end of the
world.

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Aristotle's God has provided the idea of spiritual monotheism to

the western world but from the text of Aristotle isn't clear, whether
his God is transcendent (beyond Space and Time) Immanent
(within Space and Time). But one thing is clear that his God is
impersonalistic. God of Aristotle is one who doesn't respond to the
prayers of his followers but is observed in his own thoughts.

"Problems in the idea of God'

- Aristotle has used the analogy of different types to explain the
movement in the world. He says that Just as a person in love is
moved by seeing his/her beloved one, similarly all things in the
world moves towards God. But the god of Aristotle is
impersonalistic in nature therefore is not concerned with the
worshippers or lovers. It also means that world loves the God
without being loved back by the God.

“Proofs of God”
- Aristotle has given cosmological and teleological arguments to
prove god.
Note: Aristotle has influenced Christian philosophers who got
inspired by the idea of God like Saint Thomas Aquinas,
Descartes, and Saint Anselm.

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CRITICISM
- Plato used metaphor - this was criticized by Aristotle but ended
up using same myths and metaphors to explain his theory of
God. Used the analogy of the lover and other analogies.
- Wasn't able to explain the concept of God in clear terms and
rather used the poetic language to explain the concept of God in
mystical terms.
- Aristotle wasn't able to clarify whether pure form or pure matter
were transcendental or Immanent.
- Theory of causation which Aristotle has used and claimed to be
based on scientific method has been declined by modern science,
while science explain things via mechanical methods, Aristotle
used the teleological methods.
- Causation of Aristotle is unidirectional and doesn't account
for the negative instances.
- His explanation of form & matter as well as the explanation of
their fluid nature is difficult to comprehend to many people.

ESTIMATES"
- Aristotle has influenced western thought till the present times.
- Aristotle was a reconciler, as he so reconciled between the rival
claims of sophists and Socrates being and becoming, sense and
reason, hedonism and ethical virtue.
- He brought philosophy near to science basing it on empirical
data & observations.
- The pyramidal scheme of things represented by Aristotle
suggested an evolutionary trend which was adopted by the later
scientists and philosophers and inspired future evolutionary
studies.
- Aristotle's acceptance of dualism of matter and form,
potentiality and actuality, mechanism and teleology, and Good
and bad he had created a distinction of higher & lower, when he
gives priority to the form over matter, priority thought or forms
or ideas therefore we can call his philosophy idealistic.
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DESCRIPTIVE and REVISIONARY"

Revise or improve
Describe :
speculative in nature
To, describe what is being observed
Plato revised it
explained formed matter theory as well as
change & evolution of things by creating a new world

Example: seed - sprout - plant - tree Dichotomy of existence

created the new ideas

Example: man v/s manner,

cow v/s cowness

Descriptive metaphysics

Aristotle’s philosophy is considered as D.P. as it aims to describe

the reality as it manifests itself to the human understanding. It
encompasses human conceptual analysis and it is the description
of the actual structure of our thoughts about this world.

Revisionary metaphysics

Plato attempted to revise our ordinary way of thinking. He made

efforts to improvise on or speculated to improve on conceptual
scheme in order to provide intellectually & morally preferred
picture of the world. He was concerned with producing a better and
higher, which may not have any ren. to the observable facts.

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