Man

1
Mans Dominion
2
Aristotle

• Ancient Greek Philosopher
• 384-322 BCE
• Student of Plato
• Unlike Plato, Aristotle was interested in
  empirical science.
• Originated the scientific study of life.
• The first person to attempt to classify species.

3

• According to Aristotle
• Inquiry into nature consists of a search for
  the causes of each thing why each thing comes
  into existence, why it goes out of existence, why
  it exists (the Phaedo, 96 a 6-10)

4
The Four Causes

• Identified four types of cause
• Material cause what things are made of, i.e.
  its ingredients or components
• The Formal cause the form or structure of
  things, i.e. what a thing is.
• The Efficient cause the source of the change,
  what immediately causes it to exist, change or
  cease to exist, i.e. modern sense of cause.
• The Final cause the reason for its existence,
  its purpose or end.

5
Telos

• The Final cause (telos) is the most
• important in understanding things.
• The telos of an eye is to see, of a heart to pump
  blood, of a tree to grow and produce fruit.
• Everything has a proper function. When you
  understand the function (telos) you understand
  the essence of that thing.

6
The Prime Mover

• Aristotle proposed a first cause or prime
  mover.
• The prime mover did not create the universe.
• The matter and form of the universe is eternal,
  but the prime mover sets the universe in motion.

7
Telos of animals and man

• The telos of an animal defines what is particular
  about the animal.
• A good frog is a frog that performs well at its
  function as a frog, e.g. it catches insects well,
  swims well, and produces other frogs well.
• The defining characteristic of a person is
  rationality.
• A persons function is to think rationally.
• A good person is a rational person.

8
Definition of Man

• Man is a rational animal
• Category animal
• Defining characteristic rationality
• Telos to live rationally

9
Ethics

• Aristotles ethics also based on teleology.
• Goodness results from the proper functioning of a
  thing.
• A good eye is an eye that sees well.
• A good heart is a heart that pumps blood well.
• A good animal or person is one that fulfills
  their purpose well.
• Nature has a plan.

10
Virtue ethics

• People achieve a good life by living rationally,
  cultivating good character and finding the golden
  mean moderation in all things.
• Two types of virtues
• Intellectual virtues theorectical wisdom and
  practical wisdom
• Moral virtues prudence, justice, courage and
  temperence.
• Each moral virtue represents a golden mean
  between two vices.
• E.g. courage is a mean between cowardice and
  foolhardiness.

11
Reading for next week

• Required
• Bacon, Francis (1626), The New Atlantis,
  paragraphs 51-77 and 89-90, available at
  www.bartleby.com/3/2/