Examples of Material and Efficient Causes

(written on August 7, 2019)

• A table.

  • Material cause: Wood.

  • Formal cause: The blueprint.

  • Efficient cause: Carpenter and designer.

  • Final cause: To be used for sitting, eating, working, etc.

• An office building.

  • Material cause: bricks, cement, wood, and other construction materials.

  • Formal cause: The blueprint of the building.

  • Efficient cause: The architect, a construction worker, a carpenter, a plumber, etc.

  • Final cause: To be used for office work.

• Harry Potter.

  • Material cause: Paper and pencil.

  • Formal cause: The draft.

  • Efficient cause: J.K. Rowling, author of the novel.

  • Final cause: To be enjoyed, to be read.

• The David.

  • Material cause: Marble.

  • Formal cause: Planning and sketches.

  • Efficient cause: Sculptor Michael Angelo.

  • Final cause: For viewing, to honor David.

• Amazon.

  • Material cause: Code script and inventory.

  • Formal cause: Planning, brainstorming, idea.

  • Efficient cause: CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezos.

  • Final cause: To be used for ordering products.

• Uber.

  • Material cause: code script and cars.

  • Formal cause: Planning, brainstorming, idea.

  • Efficient cause: Travis Kalanick, ex-CEO and founder.

  • Final cause: To be used as a service to go to different places.

• A tree.

  • Material cause: The seed.

  • Formal cause: Krishna’s design.

  • Efficient cause: Water, sun, and nutrients from the soil.

  • Final cause: To produce oxygen, to thrive.