The Prime Mover

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The Prime Mover

• The Unmoved Mover, or the Uncaused Cause

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• The uncaused cause is a philosophical concept
  described by Aristotle as the first cause that
  set the universe in motion.
• In his book Metaphysics Aristotle calls this
  source of all movement the Prime Mover.
• It is a being with everlasting life, and in
  Metaphysics Aristotle also calls this being God.

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• Aristotle believed all movement depends on there
  being a mover.
• Movement melting, cooling, darkening, motion
  etc.

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B
C
A
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• Aristotle argued the chain must eventually lead
  to something which moves but itself must be
  unmoved or motionless. This is the unmoved
  mover, or Prime Mover.
• The Prime Mover causes the movement of other
  things, not as an efficient cause, but as a final
  cause.
• It is the purpose/ the end/ the teleology of the
  movement, but does not move itself.

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• The idea of this final cause is vital to the
  theory, as an efficient cause will itself be
  affected by pushing.
• This is equal to Isaac Newtons Third Law of
  Motion. (action and reaction are equal and
  opposite)
• Aristotle was keen to establish that the Prime
  Mover is itself Unmoved, or unaffected, otherwise
  the whole concept would break down.

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• The Prime Mover must therefore draw things
  towards itself, whilst remaining unmoved it is
  the object of everything, it causes movement.
• However Aristotle describes it as the object of
  desire and love.

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• Aristotle moves from a seemingly logical theory
  to his own concept of God.

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• The heavenly spheres (planets) in Aristotles
  understanding of Astronomy, desire to imitate
  God in their spirituality but as they cannot do
  this, they do the best they can by moving in
  eternal circles.
• They all moved by their own unmoved movers, the
  number of which Aristotle is either 55 or 47.

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• Aristotle believes that God cannot think about
  anything that will change him in anyway because
  nothing can affect him, make him react or even
  change him from not knowing to knowing.
• Therefore Aristotle concludes that God thinks
  about himself only, because he only knows
  himself.
• He does not know this physical world we inhabit,
  he does not have a plan for us and hes not
  affected by us.

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• Thanks