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Full Idea
Each thing that has a function is for the sake of that function.
Clarification
'Function' is the Greek word 'ergon'
Gist of Idea
Each thing that has a function is for the sake of that function
Source
Aristotle (On the Heavens [c.336 BCE], 286a08)
Book Ref
Aristotle: 'On the Heavens I and II', ed/tr. Leggatt,Stuart [Aris and Phillips 1995], p.121
A Reaction
This is the central idea of Aristotle's Ethics. Did it originate with Plato, or Socrates, the young pupil Aristotle? I suspect the strong influence of Aristotle on later Plato. A major idea. Functions link the facts to life.
| 16102 | Aether moves in circles and is imperishable; the four elements perish, and move in straight lines [Aristotle, by Gill,ML] |
| 394 | An unworn sandal is in vain, but nothing in nature is in vain [Aristotle] |
| 395 | It seems possible that there exists a limited number of other worlds apart from this one [Aristotle] |
| 396 | There has to be some goal, and not just movement to infinity [Aristotle] |
| 1498 | Everyone agrees that the world had a beginning, but thinkers disagree over whether it will end [Aristotle] |
| 398 | Each thing that has a function is for the sake of that function [Aristotle] |
| 399 | If the more you raise some earth the faster it moves, why does the whole earth not move? [Aristotle] |
| 19740 | A very hungry man cannot choose between equidistant piles of food [Aristotle] |
| 402 | The Earth must be spherical, because it casts a convex shadow on the moon [Aristotle] |
| 403 | The earth must be round and of limited size, because moving north or south makes different stars visible [Aristotle] |
| 17463 | An element is what bodies are analysed into, and won't itself divide into something else [Aristotle] |
| 20918 | Void is a kind of place, so it can't explain place [Aristotle] |