Verified Document

Aristotle's Category Theory: Briefly Describe Research Proposal

3. Aristotle's Theory of Change

In his Theory of Change, Aristotle attempts to explore the nature of how ad why things evolve, or change in form from one object or concept to another. One of the greatest wonders of man, which is still even debates today, is he process of how things evolve to be. Well, Aristotle presented his Theory of Change to account for how and why objects develop into varying forms.

This theory then posits the idea that matter is the main fundamental component of change. In many cases, when an object changes, it is the matter that changes, and not the more abstract form hat embodies that matter. In this idea, objects evolve from what was previously non-existent. The objects themselves do not appear from nowhere, but rather that they are morphed in their physical form from another form. For example, a pencil comes non-pencilness, which is typical from a tree, and so on. Thus, the object existed before as something other than it exists now, and through a change in its material form and composition of matter, it changes and becomes what it is today. Therefore, Aristotle is positing the idea that all objects are derived from something else through a change in material matter. Thus, men were not dropped down onto the earth, but rather evolved into man from some sort of non-manness with a change, or a multitude of changes, in their physical matter. This helps represent a very early scientific view of man evolving from other form of matter.

4. Aristotle's theory of four grades of potentiality and actuality

Also incorporated into the construction of Aristotle's complex philosophy is...

Aristotle also believes in the differentiation of actually acting and the ability to act. This idea is formulates Aristotle's concept of the four degrees of potentiality and actuality.
According to this thinking, an object has different degrees of potentiality and actuality. Take for example a packet of seeds which are still contained within their paper wrapping. These seeds have a certain degree of potentiality in that they have the potential to sprout and grow into plants, if taken care of and given the right circumstances such as soil and regular watering. However, while they are in the seeds, they are not actually fulfilling that potentiality. While they are in the packet they are actual being jus seeds, with no progression towards sprouting -- yet. Therefore, their level of actuality is different for the seeds than its level of potentiality.

This is a relatively simple example, but the thought behind the theory can be extended to cover much more complex situations and objects. Aristotle assigns four notions of potentiality and actuality. The first potentiality shows that the subject has the capacity to actually do something. The first actuality is when that first potential is actually reached. The second potentiality is highly related to the first state, where the subject has the potential to exercise some act, but the potentiality of acting on it is increased based on an increase in potential. For example, one has a higher level of potential to do geometry when one already knows how to do it. Lastly is the second actuality, when one can act on one's potential at any opportune moment.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Aristotle's Ideas and Thoughts on
Words: 2226 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Both of these are thus translated through Aristotle's health component in his enumeration of elements that could make a person happy. One's health will be affected if the toilets at work are dirty, as well as if the working conditions do not ensure the physical security of the individual. This means that when applying for a job, the individual will look first of all at these elements before deciding whether

Theories Tactics Methods and Techniques
Words: 24173 Length: 76 Document Type: Term Paper

EDSE 600: History and Philosophy of Education / / 3.0 credits The class entitled, History and Philosophy of Education, focused on the origin of education and the "philosophical influences of modern educational theory and practice. Study of: philosophical developments in the Renaissance, Reformation, and revolutionary periods; social, cultural and ideological forces which have shaped educational policies in the United States; current debates on meeting the wide range of educational and social-emotional

Psychological and Socio-Cultural Theories of Risk
Words: 4457 Length: 13 Document Type: Essay

Psychological and Socio-Cultural Theories of Risk Definition of Risk The term "risk" is often defined differently depending on the particular paradigm. For example, risk is economics is typically defined in terms of differences in possible monetary outcomes and individuals/corporations involved in risk -- seeking behavior are typically seeking higher monetary payoffs (Markowitz 1952). When clinical psychologists, sociologists, law enforcement officials, and lay individuals identify "risky behaviors" they are referring to a broader

Neo-Confucianism Is a Philosophy Which Was Born TEST1
Words: 6352 Length: 20 Document Type: Research Proposal

K-12 Curriculum and Instruction: Changing Paradigms in the 21st Century This is not your grandfathers' economy or his educational paradigm however; today's curriculum still appears as such and therein lays a very significant and challenging problem that presents to today's educators and leaders. According to Sir Ken Robinson, "We have a system of education that is modeled on the interest of industrialism and in the image of it. Schools are still

Does the Fisher, Ury Model Work
Words: 29882 Length: 120 Document Type: Dissertation

Negotiation Skills A High Impact Negotiations Model: An Answer to the Limitations of the Fisher, Ury Model of Principled Negotiations This study aims to discover the ways in which blocked negotiations can be overcome by testing the Fisher, Ury model of principled negotiation against one of the researcher's own devising, crafted after studying thousands of negotiation trainees from over 100 multinational corporations on 5 continents. It attempts to discern universal applications of

Education Knowledge, Diversity and the
Words: 1888 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

In this regard, the instructor's individual characteristics should be secondary to the readiness of the instructor to recognize individual learning strengths and needs in the students. Diversity: Diversity is often taken as a term which refers particularly to difference in race, ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation, to name just a few categories of cultural distinction. And indeed, it does refer to this within the context of education. However, there is

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now