Aristotle had a much more expansive notion. And of course, he also wasn't speaking English. He was speaking ancient Greek. So we have translated his idea into four causes. But one of his ideas is the reason for which things are built - not really the kind of cause that we have when we're talking about cause and effects as in the glass fell over because I swung my arm and I bumped into it. It all comes down to the vocabulary we use. Again, the ideas are perfectly clear once you know what they are. We call it conservation of energy even though it's not just energy is conserved. Those are the words we use.
Welcome to the October 2022 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number — based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good — and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy!
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