In Metaphysics, Aristotle goes into the topic of change. Individuals may wonder on what change exactly means to Aristotle. In today’s society, change is viewed as a transition. Although there is much more into the concept of changing, including God. Aristotle’s account of change involves several topics including matter, form, potentiality, actuality and more.
Before diving into matter and form, Aristotle explains in the beginning of Physics II about nature and change. Aristotle argues that animals and plants do not simply show up out of nowhere (209) . Nature has been a question for everyone, where does it come from and the change that comes with it. This leads to the idea of two types of changes for Aristotle. First one is accidental change. When Aristotle describes accidental change, he puts it in an example of a doctor. Aristotle explains, “ ..which a man might be the cause of his good health because he was a doctor. It could still be true that is was not his own good health that showed him to be a doctor but that it was an accident that he was at one and the same time a doctor and in good health” (209). Accidental change leads to the explanation of how items do not have sources when produced and “others have the source in themselves, which is the case with all things that are accidentally their own causes” (209). These items have a substance but when something happens, such as the doctor having bad health, the accidental change occurs but the substance is still in the doctor.
Substance is another one of Aristotle’s account of change. There can be a confusion between accidental and substance change. Substance is more of a reaction, “the form changes, but the continuity is provided by the matter” (Aristotle Physics powerpoint). An example of substance change is when if an individual makes an ice cube. The water is no longer in a liquid form but it did not disappear. This is where form and matter comes in, the cause of substance change. For the example, in every substance, form and matter are there. Form and matter are not separated (211). An example is the ice cube, water is the matter and the ice cube is the form, the substance is made up of both. As Aristotle Physics powerpoint explains, once an individual knows the form, we have knowledge of it [individuals knows about ice cubes because the form made it into a cube]. Although, if the ice cube melts because of heat, it lacks form. Lacking form is privation (Aristotle Physics powerpoint).
Moving onto potentiality and actuality. Potentiality is when something has the potential to become its form (216). The water has its potential to become an ice cube. Actuality is when the an individual takes the water and put it in an ice cube tray, stores it into the freezer and the water becomes the ice cube.
These concepts tie into Aristotle’s argument of God. In Metaphysics, Aristotle argues over motion. Aristotle argues “nothing is moved just by chance; there must be always be something to move it……Then what kind of movement is this primary movement?” (125). Aristotle cannot have a God who is in motion because then motion would need a cause and it is infinite chain of why the motion is in motion (Aristotle Physics powerpoint). Leading Aristotle believe that God is a pure form and actuality because it is part of the necessary existence (124). Aristotle also explains on how God is the source of all the cosmology moving. In Metaphysics, Cosmology moves perfectly because of the four causes of motion. Material, formal, efficient, and final cause (122).
In conclusion, Aristotle’s argument leads to his beliefs in God and the motion of the universe.
B. Physics
The soul. An item that people personally keep to themselves. Aristotle’s opinion over the soul is something he did not want to keep to himself. The generalization characterization of the soul contains capacities and a system. In Aristotle words, the soul is the realization of how the body posses life and the body posing the organ (247).
As said earlier, form and matter are always together. The soul is also put together. The soul being the matter and the body being the form. The soul also carries humans with its affections such as happiness, anger, sadness, and so on (237). With the soul being connected together and connected to affections, Aristotle concludes the soul is connected with the body and not separable. In Psychology, the text is explained about how the soul is a “formal substance” meaning that the soul would not be a soul without the body, the soul is what realizes the potential of matter, the soul and body unite (247). The soul system has capacities that contains three parts to the systems of souls. The first one is nutritive capacity, a category that falls under plants due to nutrition, growth, and reproduction. Nutritive contains form and matter. The second one is sensitive capacity, a category falling under animals due to livings that move towards pleasure and pain. Then lastly, rationality. Rationality consists of two capacities, passive reason and activite reason, and fits under the category of humans. (248- 252). With the soul system containing capacities, the soul cannot be immortal according to Aristotle. As said earlier, because the soul cannot exist without the body and the body cannot exist without the soul. If an individual passes away so does the soul, the soul does not stay immortal. (253).
Personally, I believe in Aristotle’s argument. Without a body, an individual does not have consciousness. Without consciousness, an individual does not realize there is a soul. The body and the soul must be together for us to realize the matter in life.
Part II – Ethics
According to Aristotle, the best life an individual can identify is through happiness. Aristotle argues that pleasure, honor, is not self sufficient and wealth, health is meant to have an end (292). Aristotle continues to say this is why happiness is the highest in life. For example, the function of a man argument is about how humans function through the soul and is found in rationaitly (294).
2.)
In Aristotle terms, virtue is a mean where it involves with emotions, actions, and choices. Virtue involves doing the right decision to gain happiness (309). The main two types of virtues are intellect and moral. Intellectual virtue is taught and moral virtue is through the habits of everyday life (303). The specifics virtues are courage, generosity, temperance, and anger (Slide 41-45). An example of a specific virtue is courage, when it comes to virtue, an individual needs to be in the middle, which is courage. The individual does not want to come off too strong and be in danger, but an individual cannot be too scared and be a coward (Slide 41).
Lastly, there is a difference of virtue between Plato and Aristotle. The difference is Aristotle believes virtue is learned through good habits but Plato believes the opposite. Plato believes virtue is learned through questioning. (305).