Summary Of 
Aristotle’s
 Universal 
And 
Causes: 384
BC‐322
BC.

Source: Professor Paul Shockley

1. Aristotle’s 
Theory 
of 
Universals:

Universals
 are
 simply
 properties,
 relations,
 and
 types
 that
 are common
 to
 their
 various
 instances
 (instantiated).
 
 From
 these particular
 objects
 we
 are
 able
 to
 abstract
 an
 identical
 type
 that
 is common 
in 
each 
object
 (e.g.,
human 
being;
 canine;
 horse.

1. In
 other
 words,
 universals
 only
 exist
 in
 things,
 never
 apart from them.

This
 stands
 in 
contrast
 to
 Plato’s
Theory
 of 
Forms that
 universals
 do
 exist
 in
 the
 intelligible
 realm
 apart
 from material
 objects.

 So,
 Aristotle 
disagreed
 with
 Plato
 about
 the location
 of
 universals.
 Aristotle
 maintained
 that
 universals exist
 within 
each 
thing 
on 
which
 each 
universal
 is
 predicated. So,
 according 
to
 Aristotle,
 the 
form 
of
 grape 
exists
 within 
each grape,
rather
 than
 in
 the 
intelligible 
realm.
2. For
 example,
all 
objects 

that
 are 
circular 
are
 similar 
in 
that there 
is 
the 
same 
universal, 
circle,
in
 each 
object.

 Or, 
all
 blue objects
 are
 similar
 in
 that
 there
 is
 the
 same
 universal, blueness,
in 
each 
object. 
In 
contrast, 
there 
is 
no
 Platonic
 form of
 circle
 or
 blueness
 apart
 from
 circular
 objects
 or
 blue objects.
3. Therefore,
while
 Aristotle
 agrees 
that
 universals 
do 
exist,
 they always 
exist
 in 
objects, 
not
 apart
 from 
them.
4. Four steps to detrmining the causes: Step
1: 
Start
 with
 a 
particular 
object. 
Examine 
one 
particular object
 (for 
example,
a
 dog), Step
 2:
 
Examine
 the
 object’s
 particular
 properties.
 
 In
 other words,
 what 
makes 
this
 dog 
a 
dog?, Step
3: 
Examine 
other 
instances 
of 
dogs 
(whether 
black,
 white, multicolored, 
tall, 
small, fat, 
and 
skinny). Step
 4:
 
Extract
 the
 concept
 “canine”
 (type)
 from
 all
 the instances
 of
 dogs.

 Dogs
 will
 have
 that
 exact
 same
 type
 in common
 and 
this 
allows
 us 
to
 form 
the
 concept
 of
 canine 
that applies
 to
 all
 dogs.
5. Therefore,
 the
 type,
 canine,
 appears
 identical
 in
 each
 and every
dog.

This
 type
 is 
called
 the 
essence
 of
 the 
“doginess.”
6. The universal exist in particular objects or substance that he called the essence of things.
7. In 
sum, 
the 
ascent
 from
the 
study
of
 particular
 phenomena
 to the
 knowledge 
of 
essences.

This
 stands 
in
 contrast
 to Plato’s method
 which
 is 
descent
 from 
a 
universal
 Form 
to 
a 
particular object.
 For
 Aristotle,
 the
 “form”
 or
 type
 refers
 to
 the unconditional
 basis
 of
 phenomena
 but
 is
 “instantiated”
 in
 a particular example of that type.

2. Aristotle’s 
Four
 Causes:

• a. Material
 Cause
 is
 a
 description
 of
 the
 material
 out
 of
 which something
 is
 composed.
 For
 example,
 the
 material
 cause
 of
 my lamborghini
 is 
metal,
 wood, 
leather,
 and
 rubber.
• b. Formal
 Cause
 informs
 me
 what
 an
 object
 is,
 that
 any
 thing
 is determined
 by
 the
 archetype,
 definition,
 essence,
 pattern,
 or synthesis.
 In
 other
 words,
 it
 is
 the
 determining
 cause
 that
 found initial
 expression
 in
 the
 mind
 of
 the
 creator,
 inventor,
 or manufacturer.
 
For
 example,
the
 blueprint
 of
 my
 lamborghini 
is
 the formal
 cause.
• c. The
 efficient
 cause
 is
 that
 which
 sets
 the
 object
 in
 motion.
 For example, 
the 
people
 who 
build
 the
 lamborghini
 are 
the 
efficient
 cause.
• d. The 
final
 cause 
is 
the 
end,
 purpose,
 or 
telos.

 What 
is
 the
 purpose 
for the
 lamborghini?