I had a conversation with someone the other day and he was reading an in depth philosophical that mentioned Aristotle’s teachings on the four causes. It is an interesting and important study. A site I like to use for study is the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html.There is quite a bit of reference material on this site. The ancient teachings are explained objectively and in a way that is understandable. I tend to over-simplify things in an attempt to make an easy read so this is a good place to go for if you want to go a little more in depth.

The four causes have to do with acquiring knowledge, especially as it concerns studying natural things. By causes we mean views or questions. One thing we are accustomed to look at is the material cause. What is the object is made of? A tree is made of wood, people are made of flesh. Another thing to look at is its form. How is it shaped? Trees have branches people have arms and legs. “Where did it come from?” is another question. Trees come from seeds and people come from the womb of other people; this is the efficient cause. What is it’s purpose? Trees provide shelter and nutrition for animals; people pursue happiness. This is the final cause. This gives the four causes: the material, the formal, the efficient and the final. They don’t have to be in any particular order.

Aristotle’s contribution the other philosophies of his day was the addition of a final cause or to use a big word, a teleological explanation. This makes the claim that most things are produced under an idea. The closer it comes to the true intention of the idea the more it becomes Ideal. If a person has a work of art, it starts in their mind and they see a final product. Once they have the idea, they will get the materials out and make a form such as a painting. The closer the painting comes to their idea the better and the final outcome is good. The idea is the driving force. When studying nature we can say that a seed has the idea of a tree built into it. Once it acquires material from the soil and takes on a form, the idea is recognized. And then there is the ideal healthy and intelligent person.

He suggested only going in depth as far as necessary to gain the proper knowledge. When studying natural things there is no need to reach into the speculative realm of origins. In organic chemistry, rather than using conjecture to explain a theory of origins for an enzyme, it is more important to look at the organ that secretes it, what it’s function is, what the enzyme is made of and its chemical composition. The digression into conjecture before looking into reality is a waste of time and a distraction. In what way will the enzyme serve its best purpose? What is the ideal amount? Trying to trace psychological or physiological things back to apes is also a waste of time since we see the ideal, humans beget humans so we only need to start at a present life and examine what is amiss.

This approach works when examining a business, politics or any organization. What are they trying to accomplish and where did it start? These are the final and efficient causes. Then you look at the individuals and the structure of the organization which are the material and formal causes. Apply this to anything you want to accomplish. Look at the goal, where to start, what you need and how you will accomplish it. You see the pattern of the final, the efficient, the material and the formal. Sometimes we get stuck on the goal or the dream but never start. Sometimes we have a good plan but lack the resources. It is that way in artistic expression too. What is it you want out of life? What is it you want to know? They both follow a pattern of causes.