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Entelechy
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XenoEngineer's Lexicon
23:24, 19 September 2024 (UTC)
- Perplexity.ai Playground --the modest big model
Certainly! I'd be happy to format the information about entelechy in MediaWiki markup as a lexicon entry. Here's how it would look:
Entelechy
pronunciation|en-TEL-ə-kee|/ɛnˈtɛləki/
Entelechy is a philosophical concept originating from Ancient Greek, referring to the realization or actualization of potential, particularly in Aristotelian philosophy. It describes the process by which something becomes fully itself or achieves its full potential.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐντελέχεια (entelékheia), coined by Aristotle. It combines the words for "complete", "end/purpose", and "to have".
Key Concepts
- Actuality vs. Potentiality: Aristotle used entelechy to contrast what is actual with what is potential. For example, a person has the potential to know something, and becomes an actual knower once they learn it.
- Living Organisms: Aristotle applied it to living beings, stating that the soul is the entelechy (actualization) of a living body.
- Inner Purpose: Modern interpretations describe it as an inner dynamic purpose or driving force helping something become its fullest expression.
Examples
- An acorn's entelechy is to become an oak tree.
- For humans, it may refer to realizing one's full potential or destiny.
Philosophical Developments
- Leibniz: Used it to refer to unextended thinking substances.
- Hans Driesch: Applied it to a metaphysical element in living creatures.
Debates
Philosophers have debated whether potential forms already exist in abstraction before being actualized.