Aristotle considers nature as the primary reality. They are earth, air, fire and water. These are the material conditions that develop something alive. They take part in everything in nature. They are everlasting since they do not change themselves but they are able to create and destroy other things. To be of nature there must be an origin of change, motion, stability, being born, living, aging, and decaying. A human being goes through all of these things making it of nature. A car, bed or coat are products of art and have no natural way of changing without man. Nature repeats itself also. For example an oak tree seed will produce and oak tree seed and a human being will produce a human being. This is why Aristotle believes that evolution is not possible because how could something inferior begat something that is said to be superior. .
Nature is also said to be the shape and form of things. Since a man comes from a man that is nature. A bed doesn't come from a bed but from a man. But since wood comes from nature, being earth, the shape of the wood would also be nature. Since a tree starts out as a sprout and grows into a tree, it could be said that it is growing towards something and therefore shape is nature.
Nature is both form and matter. Matter is formed by ends and means. There are two crafts that control matter according to Aristotle; "the craft that uses the matter, and the craft that directs this productive craft. Hence the using craft also in a way directs, but .
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with a difference, in that the directing craft knows the form, whereas the craft that directs by being productive knows that matter". For example if a customer were to order a candle he would know the form the candle has but the candle maker would know what kind of waxed was being used and what changes are necessary to make it.There are four ways to understand the concept of cause, which explains how something exists.