Formal Causes

Michael T. Ferejohn presents a new analysis of Aristotle's theory of explanation and scientific knowledge, in the context of its Socratic roots. Ferejohn shows how Aristotle resolves the tension between his commitment to the formal-case model of explanation and his recognition of the role of efficient causes in explaining natural phenomena.

Michael Ferejohn is Professor of Philosophy and Classical Studies at Duke University. He has held visiting positions at the University of Pittsburgh and Tufts University, and a Mellon Faculty Fellowship at Havard University. He is the author of The Origins of Aristotelian Science (Yale University Press, 1991) as well as numerous journal articles on Plato and Aristotle.

Introduction
1: The Origins of Epistemology and the Socratic Search for Definitions
2: Definition-Based Explanations in the Euthyphro
3: Knowledge, Explanation, and Foundational Premises in Aristotle's Posterior Analytics
4: Aristotelian Definition-Based Explanatory Accounts: The Formal Aitia
5: Non-Canonical Forms of Aristotelian Demonstration
6: Explanation, Definition, and Unity in Aristotle's Later Works
Bibliography
Index