| | |
| Paragraph 1 |
'Cause' means: |
| Paragraph 2 |
(1) that from which, as immanent material, a thing
comes into being, e.g. the bronze is the cause of the statue and the
silver of the saucer, and so are the classes which include these. |
| Paragraph 3 |
(2) The form or pattern, i.e. the definition of the essence, and the
classes which include this (e.g. the ratio 2: |
| Paragraph 4 |
(3) That from which the change or the resting from change first begins; |
| Paragraph 5 |
(4) The end, i.e. that for the
sake of which a thing is; |
| Paragraph 6 |
These, then, are practically all the senses in which causes are spoken
of, and as they are spoken of in several senses it follows both that
there are several causes of the same thing, and in no accidental sense
(e.g. both the art of sculpture and the bronze are causes of the statue
not in respect of anything else but qua statue; |
| Paragraph 7 |
All the causes now mentioned fall under four senses which are the
most obvious. |
| Paragraph 8 |
These, then, are the causes, and this is the number of their kinds,
but the varieties of causes are many in number, though when summarized
these also are comparatively few. |