Citations:aition
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English citations of aition
- 2001: Rupert Woodfin [text], Judy Groves [illustrations], and Richard Appignanesi [ed.], Introducing Aristotle, page 63 (Icon Books UK, Totem Books USA; →ISBN
- Aition or “Type of Explanation”
Aristotle does not, of course, deny that cause in our modern sense exists. He just thinks that this kind of cause will not give us an adequate or full explanation of why things change.
[Aristotle]: In The Physics, I present my famous list of causes which provide a full and complete explanation.
[Interlocutor 1]: The Greek word for cause it “aition”, and this can be misleading.
[Interlocutor 2]: In the context of The Physics, it is probably better to read aition as meaning “type of explanation”.
The four causes that he gives are the ways in which some object or event or state of affairs can be made to make sense.
- Aition or “Type of Explanation”