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"Four causes" refers to an influential principle in Aristotelian thought whereby explanations of change or movement are classified into four fundamental types of answer to the question "why?" Aristotle wrote that "we do not have knowledge of a thing until we have grasped its why, that is to say, its explanation."〔Aristotle, ''Physics'' 194 b17–20; see also: 〕〔("Four Causes" ). Falcon, Andrea. (Aristotle on Causality ). ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' 2008.〕 While there are cases where classifying an explanation is difficult, or in which classes of explanation might merge, Aristotle was convinced that his four classes of explanation provided an analytical scheme of general applicability.〔Lindberg, David. ''The Beginnings of Western Science'' (1992). p53〕 Aitia, from Greek was the word that Aristotle used to refer to the concept of explanation. Traditionally in academic philosophy it has been translated as ''cause'', but this tradition uses the word 'cause' in a peculiar way that is obsolete, or highly specialized and technical in philosophy, not in its most usual current ordinary language usage. The translation of Aristotle's that is nearest to current ordinary language is 'explanation'. Aristotle held that there were four kinds of answers to 'why' questions (in ''Physics'' II, 3, and ''Metaphysics'' V, 2):〔("Four Causes" ) Falcon, Andrea. (Aristotle on Causality ). ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' 2008.〕〔 Aristotle in 23 Volumes, Vols. 17, 18, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1933, 1989; (hosted at perseus.tufts.edu.) Aristotle also discusses the four classes of explanation in his Physics, Book B, chapter 3.〕 In this article, the peculiar philosophical usage of the word 'cause' will be exercised, for tradition's sake, but the reader should not be misled by confusing this peculiar usage with current ordinary language. * A change or movement's material cause is the aspect of the change or movement which is determined by the material that composes the moving or changing things. For a table, that might be wood; for a statue, that might be bronze or marble. * A change or movement's formal cause is a change or movement caused by the arrangement, shape or appearance of the thing changing or moving. Aristotle says for example that the ratio 2:1, and number in general, is the cause of the octave. * A change or movement's efficient or moving cause consists of things apart from the thing being changed or moved, which interact so as to be an agency of the change or movement. For example, the efficient cause of a table is a carpenter, or a person working as one, and according to Aristotle the efficient cause of a boy is a father. * An event's final cause is the end toward which it directs. That for the sake of which a thing is what it is. For a seed, it might be an adult plant. For a sailboat, it might be sailing. For a ball at the top of a ramp, it might be coming to rest at the bottom. ==Meaning of "cause"== In his philosophical writings, Aristotle' used the Greek word αἴτιον, ''aition'', a neuter, singular form of an adjective. The Greek word had, perhaps originally, in a forensic context, a meaning of 'responsible', mostly but not always in a bad sense, of 'guilt' or 'blame'; alternatively it could mean 'to the credit of' something. The word developed other meanings, including its use in philosophy in a more abstract sense.〔(original text in ''Posterior Analytics'' 90a8, 94a20 ), (original text in ''Met.'' 1013a on Perseus )〕〔Liddell, H.G., Scott, R. (1843/2014). ()〕 In the present context, Aristotle used this word in the sense meaning ''an explanation that accounts for something'';〔(Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy. By Douglas J. Soccio. Page 161. )〕 in this context, ''"x is the ''aition'' of y"'' means ''"x explains y"''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「four causes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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