Why a Pen is a Pen-According to Aristotle

These four causes along with the Ontological moments of a substance help lead to the conclusion that the pen in your hand is a pen. The Efficient Cause is the principle of motion or change. These causes lead to the purpose of a substance.

The first cause is known as the Material Cause, which deals with the matter of the substance. The Material Cause of the pen is ink, the plastic, and the ballpoint. The Final Cause of the pen is to be used for writing. However, matter and form are not the only essentials Aristotle would use to support the fact that the pen in your hand is a pen. The person or machine that produced the pen

Source: Looking at Philosophy (3rd Edition) by Donald Palmer (McGraw Hill, 2001)

would be the Efficient Cause of the pen. The last Cause is called the Final Cause, this Cause deals with the purpose of a substance. The second cause is known as the Formal Cause, which deals with the form of the substance. Aristotle Causes would also be used to verify the pen’s existence. Both of these Causes make up the third Cause, which is known as the Efficient Cause.

In conclusion the pen in your hand is a pen because it contains matter and form along with the essential causes that lead to its final purpose. The form of the pen is the penness. The Formal Cause of the pen is penness.