Why Have We Jettisoned Aristotle’s Metaphysics?

On September 26, DEAR welcomed Jacob Joseph, Professor of Medicine at Brown University and Chief of Cardiology at the VA Providence Healthcare System, as part of the Race & Racism Speaker Series.

Dr. Joseph intricately demonstrated how the departure from Aristotle’s metaphysics during the Enlightenment paved the way for the scientific community to embrace pseudo-scientific and racist ideologies. This included the false belief that races were genetically and biologically different, with some deemed inferior. Such beliefs fueled colonialism and the enslavement of certain races for centuries, enabling the scientific community to justify these atrocities.

Dr. Joseph argued that adhering to Aristotle’s principles of metaphysics—specifically his framework of matter/form and causation—would have prevented the adoption of these pseudo-racist beliefs in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Key Principles Presented:

  • The Principle of Non-Contradiction: This principle asserts that contradictory statements cannot both be true at the same time, serving as a fundamental element of logical reasoning and understanding reality.
  • Substance Composition: According to Aristotle, every substance consists of two fundamental principles: matter and form.
    • Matter: The underlying material that makes up a substance, representing its potentiality for change and its physical properties.
    • Form: The essence or defining characteristics of a substance, which gives matter its shape, identity, and purpose, allowing us to recognize it as a particular entity (e.g., a dog, a tree).
  • Potentiality and Actuality: Aristotle introduces these concepts to distinguish between the capacity for change (potentiality) and the fulfillment of that potential (actuality), which is essential for understanding development.
  • Cause and Explanation: He identifies four types of causes:
    • Material Cause: What something is made of.
    • Formal Cause: The form or arrangement of something.
    • Efficient Cause: The agent or process that brings something into existence.
    • Final Cause: The purpose or end for which something exists.

Under Aristotle’s metaphysics, while matter can differ, forms remain the same. This means that although an individual’s physical makeup may vary, the essence of being human (the form) is consistent.

Dr. Joseph also addressed the misleading notion that races are biologically distinct. Drawing from his work with the Genome Project, he noted that humans are approximately 98% genetically similar, and genetic variations are not tied to race. For example, he mentioned a gene variant associated with a specific cardiovascular disease in African Americans, explaining that its prevalence is linked to geographic factors rather than race. Those of African descent often lived in areas with high malaria rates, and this gene variant provided protection against the disease.

The presentation concluded with a call for increased diversity in clinical research. For decades, medical studies have predominantly tested white, middle-aged men, with results often generalized to all populations. To improve the accuracy of findings regarding effectiveness and side effects, clinical research must better reflect the diversity of the actual population.