Aristotle's Four Causes

Aristotle's four causes: material, formal, efficient and final causes basically are the different ways the question "why" is answered.

Aristotle's four causes theory maintains that all the causes can be grouped into several divisions. These divisions are based on the ways in which the question "why" is answered. The account of causes are based on the fundamental principles or general laws wherein the whole is simply the sum of its parts.

According to Aristotle, the major kinds of causes fall under four divisions:

Material cause
Formal cause
Efficient cause
Final cause


First Cause - Material Cause

This is the first cause. Material cause pertains to the physical cause of an object. The Material Cause therefore occurs because of the parts, constituents or materials. The explanation of causes is derived from its parts such as factors, elements, constituents, ingredients, forming the whole.

Aristotle cites bronze and silver as examples of material cause. These elements are the causes of a statue. Therefore, one needs bronze in order to produce a bronze statue. The bronze is subject of change because it undergoes changes in order to result in a statue. The changes the bronze undergo include being melted and put in a wax cast to be shaped into the desired form of a statue.

Second Cause - Formal Cause

The second cause according to Aristotle is the formal cause. This cause pertains to the essence or "pattern" of something. The Formal Cause simply points out to what a thing is. It identifies the thing.

For instance, the formal cause of a statue is what it is. In order for a thing to be labeled as a statue it must have the following characteristics: a head, small size, shaped into a person or goddess. These characteristics explain the production of the statue which are referred to as the formal cause.

Third Cause - Efficient Cause

The third type of causation is the Efficient Cause. Efficient cause explains something at the point at which change occurs. Aristotle said that “Efficient cause is “the primary source of change.”

The Efficient Cause is that from which the change was introduced. It includes all factors of change whether nonliving or living. For instance, in the making of a bronze statue, the efficient cause of the statue is the sculptor.

This is because the sculptor introduces the changes to the bronze in order to turn it into a statue. But there is an in-depth explanation to the efficient cause or the principle that produces the statue.

Aristotle believes that the bronze statue is not just a handiwork of a sculptor but more importantly the real efficient cause is the art of bronze-casting the statue. The artisan merely shows his knowledge in creating a statue. The knowledge then, not the artisan, is the real efficient cause.

Fourth Cause - Final Cause

This cause explains the cause of something based on the reason why it is made. According to Aristotle, final cause is “the end (telos), that for the sake of which a thing is done.”

The final cause or telos is the cause why a thing exists. It is the conceived end the thing must serve. For instance, in the bronze statue example, the final cause of a statue is for portrayal of a goddess or for decorative purposes.

The different stages to make a bronze statue are done to attain a desired end which is, in this instance, the creation of a statue. Each step of the artistic production leads to the final cause or the reason to which the steps are done which is the bronze statue.