Explain Aristotle Essay examples

Submitted By tillytwiglet
Words: 482
Pages: 2

Explain Aristotle’s concept of the Prime Mover

Aristotle believed that everything in the universe was in a constant state of motion/change; due to this idea he also believed that something had to be the cause of all the change and movement in the universe, and this thing must be eternal.
For something to come into existence it must be caused to by something else, changing from its actual state to its potential state. For example an actual baby is potentially an adult, or an actual see is potentially a flower.
Aristotle understood that the movement and change of the planet was eternal, therefore he believed that there must be some continual cause for this change. He called this cause, the prime mover.
In Aristotle’s mind, the prime mover had to exist otherwise nothing on the planet would, this means it exists by necessity (has to exist).
In Aristotle’s four causes (explaining why things exist) the prime mover is considered to be the final cause, it is the main reason for movement. He also believed that because the Prime mover is eternal and unchanging, it must be good. This is because, something that can change therefore has the potential to be better, whereas the Prime mover does not have that potential so therefore must be already good. The more common name given to the prime mover is God. God it a leader and the universe depends on God for its existence.
In conclusion, the prime mover or God is the cause for all change from actually to potentiality.

‘An accidental universe is as likely as a created one.’ Discuss.

In the Bible, God is described as the creator. There are a few difference stories and ideas over how God actually created the universe such as God simply commanding things and they appear. Christians also strongly believe that God created the universe out of nothing;