Question

1. Do you agree with Aristotle that everything has a telos or purpose built within in for which it strives?

2.. Can you think of anything that does not have a purpose or goal built into its existence?

3.How do you understand human purpose or telos according to Aristotle?

4. How do you understand Aristotle’s idea of the Unmoved Mover?

5. What gives a human being its telos or purpose?

Please answer all asap. Thanks

Answer 1

1.Aristotle believes that everything has a telos or purpose built within in for which it strives. All plants, animals and objects have a purpose. For example, plants produce flowers, animals provide food to humans and inanimate objects such as a door handle are used to open a door. So yes, it appears that all creatures have some kind of purpose built into them. Human beings have a body in which every part plays a vital role. For example, we breathe with our lungs, hear with our ear etc. Human beings also strive for various goals in their lives. Some may strive to become a doctor whereas others may want to be a healer. All human strive to attain various goal in their lives. So, all things in the universe appear to have some purpose.

2.In the human body most organs have a specific purpose. Heart is responsible to circulate blood, stomach to digest food etc. However, there is one organ in the human body which to date no known function has been found. This organ is the appendix in the human body.

3. Human purpose or telos according to Aristotle refers to our capacity for fulfilling our potential. We can strive to attain telos our goal or potentials in life. We all have the potential to do something or be something. Understanding telos is humans is all about seeing the ways in which humans strive to attain varied potentialities in their lives.

4 Aristotle’s idea of the Unmoved Mover is God. God is responsible for natural order in the universe and over living creatures. Something eternal, a supreme force. As motion is continuous and perpetual in the universe and also controlled by something else. This something else does not move but controls the motion of everything else. It is God and hence he is named as the Unmoved Mover. God would be the best of all that there is to humanity which makes him a God.

5 Human purpose or telos according to Aristotle is due to our unique capacity for thought. We are different from animals in that we have language and consequently thought. Through thought we can strive to attain telos or our goals in life.