Entelechy

June 28, 2024

In philosphy or metaphysics, actuality or realisation as opposed to potentiality.

Aristotle used the word to refer to the soul (psyche), seen as that form within the material being by virtue of which it achieves the actuality of its nature. In certain vitalist philophies or theories, entelechy refers to the vital force within an organism that allows for life, development and self-fulfillment.

Aristotle’s idea of entelechy is when potential is fully realized and actualized. A common example is an acorn. An acorn’s state of entelechy is for it to become a tree. For an acorn, its state of entelechy is rather simple and well defined. A person’s state of entelechy has to be defined by that person (or does it?). If something (potential) can be realized and subsequently actualized, this implies that the potential form already exists in abstraction, it simply needs to be identified and given a physical manifestation. Humans have an understanding of the future, which is how we understand potential. Potential is something that can only be acted on through time. So for the acorn, does the tree that it can potentially become exist before it takes on a physical manifestation? It technically does in abstraction, it simply hasn’t been actualized yet. It can be argued that many potential versions of you exist in abstraction at this very moment. As time moves on, potential selves are being “burned off” or “left behind” as you zone in on one. Every person should realize what their state of entelechy is and act through time in such a way so that the self-defined potential self has the highest chance of being actualized.

References: Newworldencyclopedia, Reddit