The Second Sense of Dunamis in Metaphysics (Book IX)

In Metaphysics (Book IX), Aristotle distinguishes between two senses of the word Dunamis (force) and states that the first sense is related to motion. While discussing Dunamis as force in detail, he declares that he does so to shed light on the second sense of the word. Later in the book, he vaguely explains the second sense. Thus, there are different interpretations of this sense among which two are of utmost significance. Some believe it to refer to potentiality while others interpret it to refer to substance. This article is an attempt to solve this enigma: Aristotle aims to study potentiality in his book. This, however, requires the study of different types of force, one of which is the force related to motion and the other is substance related to essence. Aristotle calls it “the most useful”, i.e. the most useful in analyzing the potentiality. Potentiality is, therefore, the main objective he seeks to attain through the analysis of the second sense of Dunamis.