Metaphysics (Aristotle)

High school (ages 12+)
Philosophy & Big Questions

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/metaphysics-aristotle

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the philosopher?Aristotle (384–322 BCE), a Greek philosopher, scientist, and polymath
2. What is the primary focus?The study of 'being qua being' – existence and its fundamental properties
3. What is Aristotle's Metaphysics about?It explores the most fundamental truths about reality, existence, and the principles that make things what they are.
4. How is Aristotle's view different from Plato's?Aristotle says the essence of things is inside them, not in a separate world of Forms.

Being qua Being: The philosophical investigation into existence itself, independent of specific categories of being.
Substance (Ousia): The fundamental reality of a thing; that which underlies its properties and accidents.
Potentiality and Actuality: The capacity of a thing to become something else (potentiality) and its state of being fully realized (actuality).
The Four Causes: Material, formal, efficient, and final causes, providing a comprehensive explanation for phenomena.