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Aristotle would consider the 'Heavenly Bodies' to be which kind of substance?

A. Material
B. Formal
C. Efficient
D. Final

User Wiomoc
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

Aristotle would consider the 'Heavenly Bodies' to be an example of a formal cause. This concept, part of Aristotle's four causes, describes the essence or 'whatness' that gives the 'Heavenly Bodies' their identity and characteristics within the physical world.

Step-by-step explanation:

Aristotle would consider the 'Heavenly Bodies' to be which kind of substance? The correct answer would be B. Formal cause. According to Aristotle's doctrine of the four causes, the formal cause is akin to the unchanging idea or 'whatness' that shapes an object. In the context of the 'Heavenly Bodies', this would refer to the essential qualities that define their existence and differentiate them from other entities. Unlike his teacher Plato, Aristotle was focused on matter and form within the physical world, rather than on mystical, otherworldly forms.

Aristotle's concept of hylomorphism refers to substance being a composite of form within matter. This concept applies to the 'Heavenly Bodies' in that they are composed of physical matter (celestial) that is shaped by an inherent form which dictates their behavior and properties. Unlike material cause, which would refer to what something is made of, or the efficient cause, which would refer to what agent or process created an object, the formal cause of the 'Heavenly Bodies' would pertain to the essential form that dictates their structure and place within the cosmos.

User Ravi Gautam
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