The pseudoscience of the modern age began with the elimination of three out of Aristotle’s four causes. Only one, causa efficiens, the cause of motion, was retained. As a result, the object lost its three dimensions — the eidetic, the hylistic, and, above all, the entelechial. The object ceased to be determined by its spiritual meaning, its malleable connection with the elements, and lost the goal of motion, which synthesized the previous three causes. The object became an irrelevant (unknown) moving object. This means that it exists only in motion — disconnected from eternal identity (causa formalis), chaotic malleability/elasticity (causa materialis), and, most importantly, without a goal (causa finalis). Such motion has no final point; it is fundamentally aimless. “These are the atoms and vortices of Democritus and the foundation of Epicurus’ teaching,” will say someone familiar with Greek philosophy. And they will be right.
By removing the final cause, we eliminate the axis around which the world revolves and strip time of its orientation. In essence, from the very beginning, the physics of the Renaissance (Galileo, Newton) laid the groundwork for postmodernism — recycling, post-history, citation, dissolution of meaning, nihilistic irony.
The most false aspect of the modern age culture is not its philosophy but its science. It is the source of civilization’s decline. Nobel Prize laureate Werner Karl Heisenberg, a truly brilliant physicist who worked on quantum theory, once noted: ancient science assembled the world, made it whole, whereas we, the scientists of modernity, disassemble it into meaningless fragments; in striving to conquer it, we destroy it. Modern science is destructive. This is the most dangerous destructive ideology. It deprives everything of meaning, seeking to subject the subtle ontology of the world to its illusory calculations.
If we remove causa finalis, then reality becomes isomorphic — no one and nothing has the correct path. One way is no better than another. At the same time, overall meaninglessness is subject to irreversible mechanical fatalism in particular. This is a totalitarian universe, where all cause-and-effect chains are stronger than steel. True tyranny. This is exactly how Newton constructed his commentaries on the Apocalypse: knowing the causes, we firmly deduce the effects. This is Calvinism applied to science. But what exactly are the causes? Causa efficiens.
This logic underlies the two most totalitarian Western ideologies — liberalism (which is undoubtedly the champion of mental degeneration) and communism. They lead, with iron necessity, to an absolute planetary nightmare. However, Nazism is no better. Just less dogmatic and “scientific.” But it follows the same logic, only applied not to the individual and class (two false mega-concepts of liberals and communists) but to race.
We need to start by reevaluating the concept of causality and return to a true, authentic interpretation of Aristotle’s ideas.
~Alexandr Dugin, Translated by Constantin von Hoffmeister
Q: What are Aristotle’s four causes?
A: A fundamental concept in Western philosophy! Aristotle’s Four Causes, also known as the Four Reasons or the Four Explanations, are a classification system he used to explain why something exists or occurs. They appear in his work “Metaphysics” (specifically Book VII and VIII).
The Four Causes are:
1. Material Cause (Hyle): This refers to the physical material out of which something is made. For example, the material cause of a chair is wood.
2. Formal Cause: This explains the structure or form that something has, regardless of its material composition. For instance, the formal cause of a chair is its design and shape.
3. Efficient Cause (Kinoun): Also known as the moving or productive cause, this refers to the agent or force responsible for bringing something into being or making it happen. An example would be the carpenter who built the chair.
4. Final Cause (Telos): This is also known as the purpose or end for which something exists. It explains why a thing was made or has been created, its intended function or goal. For instance, the final cause of a chair might be to provide a comfortable place to sit.Aristotle’s Four Causes are meant to complement each other and provide a comprehensive explanation for why something exists or occurs. They have had a significant influence on Western philosophy, science, and ethics, and continue to be studied and applied today.
For example, consider the creation of a bicycle:
* Material Cause: The metal, wheels, and pedals used to build it.
* Formal Cause: Its design and structure, which enable it to function as a vehicle.
* Efficient Cause: The bike manufacturer or individual who built it.
* Final Cause: To provide transportation and facilitate movement.The Four Causes offer a nuanced understanding of the relationships between objects, their creation, and their purpose.
~Llama3.1:8B AI chatbot
The Principle of Cause and Effect according to the Kybalion:
“Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.”–The Kybalion.
This Principle embodies the fact that there is a Cause for every Effect; an Effect from every Cause. It explains that: “Everything Happens according to Law”; that nothing ever “merely happens”; that there is no such thing as Chance; that while there are various planes of Cause and Effect, the higher dominating the lower planes, still nothing ever entirely escapes the Law. The Hermetists understand the art and methods of rising above the ordinary plane of Cause and Effect, to a certain degree, and by mentally rising to a higher plane they become Causers instead of Effects. The masses of people are carried along, obedient to environment; the wills and desires of others stronger than themselves; heredity; suggestion; and other outward causes moving them about like pawns on the Chessboard of Life. But the Masters, rising to the plane above, dominate their moods, characters, qualities, and powers, as well as the environment surrounding them, and become Movers instead of pawns. They help to PLAY THE GAME OF LIFE, instead of being played and moved about by other wills and environment. They USE the Principle instead of being its tools. The Masters obey the Causation of the higher planes, but they help to RULE on their own plane. In this statement there is condensed a wealth of Hermetic knowledge–let him read who can.
~The Three Initiates
