DID ARISTOTLE HOLD A THEORY OF EXPLANATION? SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THE ARISTOTELIAN NOTION OF αιτία

Aristotle introduces in Physics II 3 what has been commonly called his theory of the four causes. However, in recent decades it has become equally common the idea that what Aristotle does in fact in this, and other related passages, is to introduce a theory about the different types of explanations...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Rossi, Carlo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)
Repositorio:Kriterion (Online)
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:periodicos.ufmg.br:article/35087
Acceso en línea:https://periodicos.ufmg.br/index.php/kriterion/article/view/35087
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Aristotle
Causation
Explanation
Chance
Aristóteles
Causalidad
Explicación
Azar
Descripción
Sumario:Aristotle introduces in Physics II 3 what has been commonly called his theory of the four causes. However, in recent decades it has become equally common the idea that what Aristotle does in fact in this, and other related passages, is to introduce a theory about the different types of explanations we could offer for phenomena in the natural world. In this article, I argue against such an interpretation of the Aristotelian notion of  presenting two arguments to this effect. The first one develops an objection from the textual evidence that is often invoked in support of that view. The second and more important one shows the inadequacy of such a view in order to understand the relation that Aristotle envisages between chance and causation.