The Telos of a Table: An Aristotelian Reflection on the Meaning of Crafted Objects
Faculty Mentor
Christopher Kirby
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
10-5-2023 11:35 AM
End Date
10-5-2023 11:55 AM
Location
PUB 323
Department
Philosophy
Abstract
Aristotle’s four causes describe how a thing comes into being, with the fourth and final cause being an object’s telos: the ‘why’ behind its creation. With the example of a dining table, the final cause is generally assumed to be dining. Yet this final cause is in some cases insufficient in describing the meaning of a dining table within the human experience. Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia, the idea of human flourishing, requires forethought, desires, and actions towards ends. In his Metaphysics, Aristotle sees the examination of the causes of crafted things as a starting point for understanding the causes of natural things. The causes of a dining table may just lead to a telos of dining, but the human experience may not find this sufficient to the sharpness of desire one may hold for an object. This desire towards the object drives one to action, with goals and plans set and pursued for the sake of the meaning represented by the object. Using my own experience regarding the particular object of the dining room table alongside the writings of Aristotle, I convey how human desire and action often impart a different and more meaningful telos onto an object than intended by the designer of that object.
Recommended Citation
Browning, Irie, "The Telos of a Table: An Aristotelian Reflection on the Meaning of Crafted Objects" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 6.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/os4_2023/6
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
The Telos of a Table: An Aristotelian Reflection on the Meaning of Crafted Objects
PUB 323
Aristotle’s four causes describe how a thing comes into being, with the fourth and final cause being an object’s telos: the ‘why’ behind its creation. With the example of a dining table, the final cause is generally assumed to be dining. Yet this final cause is in some cases insufficient in describing the meaning of a dining table within the human experience. Aristotle’s concept of eudaimonia, the idea of human flourishing, requires forethought, desires, and actions towards ends. In his Metaphysics, Aristotle sees the examination of the causes of crafted things as a starting point for understanding the causes of natural things. The causes of a dining table may just lead to a telos of dining, but the human experience may not find this sufficient to the sharpness of desire one may hold for an object. This desire towards the object drives one to action, with goals and plans set and pursued for the sake of the meaning represented by the object. Using my own experience regarding the particular object of the dining room table alongside the writings of Aristotle, I convey how human desire and action often impart a different and more meaningful telos onto an object than intended by the designer of that object.
