Physics by Aristotle, Book 2, Term Paper

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Likewise, a bronze statute is created by the 'being' in the world as a piece of metal, or the matter of the raw material. It is also dependent upon the sculptor's art, which is itself a product of the artist's ability: his human intelligence, craft, and ability to use his hands.

However, although a dog may be bred to look a certain way, and to be a certain size, it still retains its integrity as part of natural matter. Aristotle uses the example of a wooden bed that is buried: because of its matter it will put forth shoots and grow as a tree, reflecting its matter and telos or purpose -- it will not grow into a bed, as this shape is artificially imposed upon the wood. A parallel in a dog might be putting a dog in a baby carriage and dressing it like a doll: altering the dog through artifice will not change its essential matter as a sniffing, breathing, eating animal creature. Putting makeup on the human face does not render a human being into something other than its essential nature: even altering a person's face through plastic surgery does not fundamentally change his or her 'matter' or DNA. The individual is likely to pass the same nose shape onto his or her offspring, not the superficially and artificially altered nose.

Aristotle's understanding of the world is highly sophisticated because it encompasses the biological and chemical nature of human physiology, as well as the impact of the material world upon the body. Both matter and environmental influences impact what we become: our matter or genetic predispositions ensure that we become human beings, and manifest certain traits, such as tallness, a tendency to have high cholesterol, or sociability.

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Our form is determined by the properties of matter, and causal influences shape how that matter is expressed. For example, some people are more apt to have high cholesterol than others, although environmental influences can determine the degree to which that tendency is manifested. Similarly, all trees have a tendency to grow into larger trees, but the height of the tree will be impacted by soil, nutrition, rainfall, and the way that it is cultivated, even though its essential 'tree-ness' remains unaltered.

Matter enables us to shape the matter of our environments: the presence of trees can improve the environment, or a tree's roots can stifle the growth of another tree. Humans can also create, with their brains and limbs, an environment that promotes or inhibits health, depending on the inclination of their will and desire. Humans can use their bodies to become healthy, or can pursue the opposite, a life of pleasure. But within both pursuits, one for good, one for ill, the nature of the human form and matter will shape the path of the individual, even while the fundamental quality or needs of human matter for food and shelter do not change.

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