Ahhh, Aristotle.

If I recall correctly, when I took Introduction to Philosophy, we talked a lot about Aristotle but we didn't read a whole lot of Aristotle. Of course, I had the advantage of taking Intro to Philosophy with someone who knows Aristotle very well, so he could guide the class through the sorts of thought experiments and conversations that really make Aristotle seem useful.

Those taking Introduction to Philosophy with me aren't so lucky.

The four causes of Aristotle. Why do you need to know these?

First, to become generally educated. The next time someone goes on a rant about either formal or final causation you can have some idea of the context of the rant. One funny thing about becoming educated is that you begin to notice more and more of what's going on around you. Right now, you may believe that you've never encountered someone ranting about either formal or final causation, but chances are that you're wrong.

Second, because they make certain parts of the world, and the way we think about it, explicit. As soon as you've noticed that there only so many ways of answering a "why" question, you can begin trying to improve the ways you answer those questions. Also, you can begin answering the wrong way on purpose, substituing a material cause when the person asking probably wanted an effecient answer.

Q: Why are you crying?
A: Because there's a salty fluid running down my face.


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