[Revised entry by Andrea Falcon on March 7, 2023.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
Causality is at the heart of Aristotle’s scientific and philosophical enterprise. Each Aristotelian science consists in the causal investigation of a specific department of reality. If successful, such an investigation results in causal knowledge; that is, knowledge of the relevant or appropriate causes. The emphasis on the concept of cause explains why Aristotle developed a theory of causality which is commonly known as the doctrine of the four causes. For Aristotle, a firm grasp of what a cause is, and how many kinds of…
Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More
