Empiricism

The third man argument runs as follows: if there exists in a realm of Forms a perfect Form of a man on which earthly men are modeled, this Form, to have any conceivable content, would have to be based on a form of the form of man, and this too would have to be based on a higher form on which the Form of the Form are based, and so on ad infinitum. We see different instances of dog in the world around us. We recognize the common characteristics of dogs in the world. Using our senses and our reasons. We understand what makes a dog a dog. We find the truth of evidence gained in the world around us. For Aristotle, everything in the world is fully explained by 4 causes that fully account for thing's Existence. These four causes are: the material cause or what a thing is made of; the formal cause or the arrangement or shape of a thing; the efficient cars or how a thing is brought into being; and the final cause, or the function or purpose of a thing. And it is this last type of cause the final cause, that relates to ethics. Example: the final cause of an eye- It's function is to see. This function is the purpose of the eye. Teleology is the study of purpose in nature. A teleological explanation of a thing is, therefore an account of a thing's purpose and to know the purpose of a thing is also to know what a good or a bad version of thing is. A good eye, for example, is one that sees well. In the case of humans, a good life is therefore one in which we fulfill Our purpose or use all the characteristics that makes us human to the full. A person can be considered good if he uses the characteristics, he was born with and can only be happy by using all his capabilities in the pursuit of virtue, the highest form of which for aristotle is the wisdom. which brings us full circle back to the question of how we can recognize the things that we call virtue. And for aristotle, again, the answer is by observation. We understand the nature of the "good life" by seeing it in the people around us. Syllogism: two premises and a conclusion, for example: if a's are x's and b is an a, then b is an x. All men are mortal, socrates is a man, therefore socrates is mortal. By using an analytical reasoning in the form of logic, Aristotle realized that the power of reason was something that did not rely on the senses. And that it must therefore be an innate characteristic - Part of what it is to be a human. Although we have no innate ideas, We do possess this innate faculty, which is necessary for us to learn from experience. The innate power of reason is what distinguishes us from all other living creatures. And places us at the top of the hierarchy.