English

Noun

final cause ‎(plural final causes)

1. (philosophy, natural science) The purpose, goal, or end fulfilled by a thing.
   • 1998, R. J. Schork, Greek and Hellenic Culture in Joyce, ISBN 9780813016092, p. 176 (Google preview):

     In the production of a statue of Athena for the Parthenon, the bronze is the material cause; the shape and design of the statue is the formal cause; the sculptor is the efficient cause; the honor of the goddess (and the glory of Athens) is the final cause.

Usage notes

• One of the four kinds of causes recognized in Aristotelianism: material cause, formal cause, efficient cause, final cause.

See also

• teleology

References

• final cause at OneLook Dictionary Search