Aristotle’s works can be said to be less focused on moral philosophy and more directed toward metaphysics and physics. Aristotelian science consists of the causal investigation of a specific department of reality – the nature of being. His emphasis on the concept of cause explains why Aristotle developed a theory of causality which is commonly known as the doctrine of the four causes. For Aristotle, a firm grasp of what a cause is, and how many kinds of causes there are, is essential for a successful investigation of the world around us. Since Aristotle obviously conceives of a causal investigation as they search for an answer to the question “why?”, and a why-question is a request for an explanation, it can be useful to think of a cause as a certain type of explanation.
In his writings, Physics II 3 and Metaphysics V 2, Aristotle offers his general account of the four causes:
- The material cause: “that out of which”, e.g., the bronze of a statue.
- The formal cause: “the form”, “the account of what it will become”, e.g., the shape of a statue.
- The efficient cause: “the primary source of the change or rest”, e.g., the artisan, the art of bronze-casting the statue, the man who gives advice, the father of the child.
- The final cause: “the end, that for the sake of which a thing is done”, e.g., the monetary value of the statue, the aesthetic influence, personal pleasure.
