ARISTOTLE'S FOUR TYPES OF CAUSE
(Answers to questions like:   "Why is there a statue of Hermes [here]?"
"Why is there a house [here]?   Why is there a cat [here]?")


  
    Example:   A bronze
statue of Hermes   		Example:
A house 		Example:
A cat
Material cause
("out of what?") 		The bronze of which the statue is made The wood, bricks, etc. of which the house is made The skin, bones, muscles and
other tissues of the cat
Formal cause
("in what form?";
"from what plan?") 		The shape or form (eidos) of the statue, by which we recognize Hermes; also the design in the mind of the sculptor The form (eidos) of the house,
by which we recognize it as a house; also the blueprints 		The form (eidos) of the cat, by which we recognize it as a cat; also the DNA code
Efficient cause
("by what process?") 		The casting process by which the bronze was molded into shape The carpentry, brick-laying, and other processes used in construction The male and female parents of the cat, the act of mating, and the process of gestation
Teleological or
final cause
("for what reason or purpose?") 		To honor the god Hermes To provide housing for people Several interpretations:
  • to fulfill its natural instincts (or its role in the ecosystem) by catching small birds and mice
  • to provide companionship to humans
  • to fulfill God's purpose in nature
  • (?) maybe no purpose exists


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