The Four Causes

See this Substance. ]Aristotle’s doctrine of the four causes provides an account of the different ways in which something can be explained.

The Material Cause

The material cause is that out of which something is made.

The Formal Cause

The formal cause is the form or structure that makes a thing what it is.

The Efficient Cause

The efficient cause concerns the source or agent responsible for a thing’s coming into being.

The Final Cause

The final cause concerns the end or purpose for which something exists.