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Re: [ontolog-forum] Cause and chemical reactions

To: "[ontolog-forum]" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "Barker, Sean (UK)" <Sean.Barker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "John F. Sowa" <sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:55:16 -0400
Message-id: <46786CE4.8050305@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Pat,    (01)

The distinction is very clear:    (02)

 > I'd also have a lot of trouble distinguishing
 > material from efficient cases in the case of
 > a simple chemical reaction.    (03)

If you have a gas leak in your house, the gas and
surrounding air are the material causes, and a spark
that triggers an explosion is the efficient cause.    (04)

In particular, Aristotle's four aitia (translated
to Latin as causae) were four methods of explanation.    (05)

The meaning of the word changed when Hume and others
focused on the efficient cause as the "true" cause.
But that doesn't make the other three less important
as bases for explanations.    (06)

John    (07)


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