Final answer:
Aristotle considered that identifying the material and efficient causes of an item or being is important to understand its nature and purpose.
Step-by-step explanation:
Aristotle believed that the nature of any single thing could be understood by answering four basic questions: "What's it made of?" (material cause), "What shape does it have?" (formal cause), "What agent gave it this form?" (efficient cause), and, finally, "What is its end goal?" (final cause). By identifying the material and efficient causes of an item or being, Aristotle sought to explain the essence and purpose of that thing. For example, in the case of a sculpture, the material cause would be the marble and the efficient cause would be the skill of the sculptor.