Aristotle

Question 1

Describe the painting of ‘The School of Athens’ and what is says about Aristotle vs Plato.

Answer 1

Plato’s hand is pointing up because he believed all knowledge and truth is in the world of the forms, but Aristotle’s hand is pointing down because he believed all knowledge and truth is in the material world. Aristotle is stood still because he believes we can explain everything from within our world, but Plato is moving because he thinks things are constantly changing.

Question 2

Plato was a…?

Answer 2

Rationalist

Question 3

Aristotle was a…?

Answer 3

Empiricist

Question 4

What is are the key quotes from Aristotle?

Answer 4

‘Nothing would exist if it didn’t have a purpose’, ‘there is nothing in the mind except what was first in the senses’, ‘Plato is dear to us, but the truth is more dear’.

Question 5

What was Aristotle’s theory?

Answer 5

The Four Causes

Question 6

What did Aristotle think everything is made from?

Answer 6

Form and Matter

Question 7

For Aristotle, what is a form?

Answer 7

What makes something recognisable, its shape or its structure

Question 8

What are the four causes?

Answer 8

Formal, efficient, material and final

Question 9

What is the formal cause?

Answer 9

The shape of something e.g. a knife is sharp

Question 10

What is material cause?

Answer 10

What something is made out of

Question 11

What is efficient cause?

Answer 11

How something is made?

Question 12

What is final cause?

Answer 12

The most important cause; the reason why something was made

Question 13

Aristotle said all objects have…?

Answer 13

Four causes and therefore a purpose

Question 14

Something is good if…?

Answer 14

If fulfils its end purpose

Question 15

What did Aristotle also talk about?

Answer 15

Change and movement and how things are constantly changing

Question 16

What did Aristotle say things are constantly going from?

Answer 16

Actuality to potentiality e.g an acorn is potentially an oak treee

Question 17

What reason did Aristotle postulate to explain why things are constantly changing?

Answer 17

The Prime Mover

Question 18

Everything in the physical world is constantly…?

Answer 18

CHANGING (in a state of flux) e.g. I am getting older

Question 19

What did Aristotle believe is the cause of all movement?

Answer 19

The desire and love for the Prime Mover

Question 20

Why is the prime mover spiritual?

Answer 20

Because it is not constantly changing and therefore cannot be made of matter

Question 21

What does the Prime Mover not know about and why?

Answer 21

The existence of the physical world otherwise he may cause a reaction so he must only think about himself

Question 22

Who does Aristotle postulate the primer mover to be?

Answer 22

God

Question 23

What are the weaknesses of Aristotle?

Answer 23

Not everything has a purpose e.g. appendix, fallacy of composition e.g. human body, existentialism e.g. only people have purposes which they choose for themselves

Question 24

What are the strengths of Aristotle?

Answer 24

It is based on empiricism which can be tested, the idea of four causes makes logical sense and can still be applied to modern day

Question 25

How does Aristotle describe God?

Answer 25

As only a thought and does not know of the existence of the physical world: he only thinks of himself