The Meanings of Dunamis in Aristotle’s Philosophy

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph D Candidate of Philosophy,, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

3 Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

Abstract

The word "dynamis" in ancient Greek philosophy began with physical power and political authority, evolved in Plato's thought into the capacity to affect or be affected, and became a central concept in Aristotle's system. This research examines its diverse applications in Aristotle's physics, psychology, ethics, and logic to demonstrate its significance and address the fundamental question: despite evident differences in instances (natural potentiality of bodies, psychic faculties, and logical possibility), what accounts for the unity of these applications—and is this unity gradational (mushakkik) or univocal? The answer is that the basis of unity lies not in a third objective entity, but in the primary meaning of "principle of change"—a single conceptual core present in all applications, yet realized at different existential levels in each domain. In physics, potentiality is the principle of motion and rest; in psychology, the perceptual and motive faculties are principles of voluntary and cognitive actions; and in logic, possibility is the principle of the truth-relation in propositions. This single "principlehood," despite conceptual unity, manifests with varying existential intensity and gradation; hence, the commonality of meanings is gradational, not univocal, and the diversity of applications expresses different modalities of a single reality in facing various actualities. This analysis enables precise differentiation between natural potentiality, psychic faculties, and logical possibility, and prevents common interpretive confusions.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Aristotle. (1988). Metaphysics (S. Khorasani, Trans.). Tehran: Goftar. (in Persian)
Aristotle. (1991). Metaphysics (M. H. Lotfi, Trans.). Tehran: Nashr-e Ney. (in Persian)
Aristotle. (1995). Complete works of Aristotle: A revised Oxford translation (J. Barnes, Ed.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1984)
Aristotle. (1999). Aristotle's Logic (Organon): Categories, On Interpretation, Prior Analytics, Posterior Analytics, Topics, Sophistical Refutations (S. A. Adib Soltani, Trans.). Tehran: Negah Publications. (in Persian)
Aristotle. (1999). On the Soul (A. Davoudi, Trans.). Tehran: Hekmat. (in Persian)
Aristotle. (2019). Physics (M. H. Lotfi, Trans.). Tehran: Markaz Publishing. (in Persian)
Aristotle. (2020). Nicomachean Ethics (M. H. Lotfi, Trans.). Tehran: Tarh-e Now Publications. (in Persian)
Aristotle. (2021). Politics (H. Enayat, Trans.). Tehran: Sepehr Printing House. (in Persian)
Avicenna (Ibn Sina). (2004). Mabda' wa Ma'ad (A. Norani, Ed.). Tehran: Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Tehran. (in Persian)
Avicenna (Ibn Sina). (n.d.). Rasa'il (Vol. 1). Qom: Bidar. (in Persian)
Brentano, F. (1975). On the several senses of being in Aristotle (R. George, Ed. & Trans.). London, Los Angeles.
Broadie, S. (2002). Ethics with Aristotle. Oxford: Oxford University Press, esp. pp. 120–125 on potentiality as an active capacity.
Karaji, A. (2002). Philosophical Terms and Their Differences (2nd ed.). Qom: Bustan-e Ketab. (in Persian)
Knuuttila, S. (2018). Medieval approaches to future contingents. Roczniki Filozoficzne, 66(4), [Online English version]. https://doi.org/10.18290/rf.2018.66.4-5en
Liddell, H. G., Scott, R., Jones, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1940). A Greek-English lexicon (9th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Plato. (2001). The Complete Works (M. H. Lotfi, Trans.) (3rd ed.). Tehran: Kharazmi Publications. (in Persian)
Sajjadi, J. (1982). Dictionary of Rational Sciences (Philosophical, Theological, and Logical Terms). Tehran: Islamic Association of Wisdom and Philosophy of Iran. (in Persian)
Tabatabai, M. H. (2013). The Ultimate Philosophy (Translation of Nihayat al-Hikmah) (M. Tadayyun, Trans.; S. H. Khosrowshahi, Ed.). Tehran: Bustan-e Ketab. (in Persian)
Send comment about this article
CAPTCHA Image
Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 20, Issue 55 - Serial Number 55
Articles
Issue 55, Summer 2026
July 2026
Pages 577-596

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics