Aristotelian Realism: Philosophy, Nature, and Ethics
Aristotelian Realism
Aristotle was born in Macedonia in 384 BC. The son of a doctor, he developed an experimental approach to knowledge. He studied in Athens at Plato’s school but found himself disagreeing with Plato’s theories.
Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, and was the tutor of Alexander the Great.
Criticism of Plato
- Aristotle argued that Plato’s theories were mere assumptions because they could not be proven.
- He believed that the essence of things must reside within the things themselves, not separated in a world of ideas as Plato claimed.
- Plato sought to explain reality but, upon observing its changing nature, invented a variable to model it.
- Aristotle felt that this duplication only confused matters.
Theory of Nature: Hylemorphism
Aristotle formulated hylemorphism to explain how things, or substances, in our world are made.
For Aristotle, there are two constitutive principles of things and four explanatory causes. The founding principles are matter and form.
- Matter: A neutral, undifferentiated, and irrational element that does not recognize form. It resembles the material world of Plato.
- Form: The universal structure that individuals of the same class or kind share. It is the formal cause of scientific research and resembles the ideas of Plato’s ideal world.
Example: Consider a table. The material would be wood, and the form would be the idea that makes it a table rather than a chair.
Potency and Act
The pairing of act and potency makes change possible. The world is in constant dynamism, and any change is a potency upgrade.
- Potency: The ability of a substance to accept or receive a different form. For example, wood is potentially a table, a bench, a chair, etc.
- Act: The form a substance acquires at any given time. It is the result of a potency upgrade.
The Four Causes
In any change, there must be reasons why the change occurred. These four causes are:
- Material Cause: What something is made of (raw material).
- Formal Cause: Its essential qualities; the idea or model.
- Efficient Cause: What promotes the change from the outside.
- Final Cause: The objective or purpose.
Example: A sculpture of Zeus. It is made of marble (material), based on an idea or model the artist worked from (formal), created by the artist (efficient), with the aim of worshiping God (final).
The Four Changes
According to Aristotle, there are four different types of change:
- Substantial (or Essential): When an entity is created or destroyed. Example: a plant decomposes or is born.
- Qualitative
- Quantitative
- Local (or Site)
Ethics and Politics: Happiness
According to Aristotle, man is always looking for happiness. A person is not happy with material goods but when reason develops.
Virtue
Dianoetic virtues are the ability to understand things. The most important virtues are wisdom and prudence.
Ethical virtues are those that value action: “Good habits to fortify the virtue of moral conduct.”
Virtue ethics is a middle term between two bad extremes. For example, courage is the average between cowardice and recklessness.
In some situations, it is difficult to adopt a middle way, considered the most profitable according to Aristotle.
Justice
The state should be the highest form of social justice.
State
The ideal state, as for Plato, was of an aristocratic character.
Forms of Government
Aristotle does not propose an ideal state but seeks a middle way between democracy and oligarchy. Power must be exercised to benefit the people. The establishment of the polis must be in accordance with the historic character of each village and the historical conditions of each city.