Final answer:
Aristotle's concept of universal order is rooted in the progression from potentiality to actuality, where everything has a place and purpose in the natural world. This informed the cosmological argument, which reasons that the order of the cosmos implies a prime mover or God, though Aristotle did not explicitly attribute the cosmos order to divine will. The application of this order to derive moral laws remains debated, especially in light of evolutionary theory.
Step-by-step explanation:
The concept of universal order according to Aristotle can be explored through his ideas on the natural progression from potentiality to actuality. Aristotle believed that everything in nature strives to move from an incomplete state to a complete one, finding its proper place within the universal order. This view stands in contrast to his mentor Plato, who asserted that the physical world is just a shadow of a more profound, unchanging reality that consists of forms such as truth and beauty. However, Aristotle focused on the tangible world and sought to understand the essence of things through direct observation. In his perspective, all things have a specific purpose and place in the cosmos.
Aristotle's insights formed the basis of the cosmological argument, which posits the existence and order of the universe as evidence for the existence of God. Although Aristotle himself did not attribute the order of the cosmos directly to divine intervention, his work laid the groundwork for later thinkers such as Aquinas to connect the concept of natural order to a theological framework. The cosmological argument examines the universe's existence to argue for the necessity of an initial cause or prime mover, often equated with God.
Aristotle's philosophy also touches upon moral principles derived from nature's inherent order. Critics of this Natural Law Theory argue that it is challenging to derive moral laws for humans based on nature since human behavior is significantly influenced by the environment and conditioning.
For Aristotle, the drive towards actualizing potential is a key aspect of both physical and moral development, and this process contributes to the complex web of universal order. However, the question remains open whether a natural moral order necessitates the belief in a God to have set it or whether such an order can exist independently, as evolutionary theory might suggest.