On The Unity Of Two Sets Of Analogical Instances Of Dunamis/Kinesis And Hule/Ousia In Metaphysics Θ

In Metaphysics Θ6,Aristotle lists five analogical examples in his account for of the concept of dunamis/energeia:1)what builds is to what can be build;2)what is awake to what is asleep;3)what is seeing to what has closed eyes but has sights;4)what has been separated off from the matter to the matter and 5)what has been finished off to what is unwrought.These five analogical examples can be divided into two groups according to the differences in the general characteristics they enjoy:1-3 belong to dunamis is to kinesis;4-5 belong to ousia to hule.However,the relationship between the two groups of examples and their explanatory role for the concepts of energeia and dunamis is unclear.The first group does not fully convey the meaning of energeia,while the second group does not seem to directly relate to either concept.This suggests a lack of unity in their explanation.However,Aristotle appears to consider them as unified examples that help clarify his ideas about dunamis and energeia.So,the question remains:are these two sets of examples truly unified,and if so,in what way?The relationship between the two sets of analogical examples can be described as a non-unitary argument with differences in meaning based on the internal and external purposes of the movement and the completion and non-completion criteria,or as a weakly differentiated argument with a hierarchical transition from the first to the second set of analogical examples based solely on the completion and non-completion criteria.The other is the unity argument based on the presentation of the concepts of dunamis and energeia in different examples and focusing on the depth of the analogical inquiry;among them,the unity argument dominated by dunanmis in the presentation of analogical examples can be divided into the argument dominated by active dunamis and the argument dominated by dunamis as a way of being;the energeia-dominated unity argument in the application of the example involves arguments focusing on the relationship between kinesis and energeia,respectively.Along with a deeper analysis of analogical examples will come the realization of why analogy differs from definition,and the understanding of analogical examples needs to resort to the connotations of analogy,dunamis and energeia distributed in the Metaphysics Θ,respectively,and the relevant portrayals in other related texts such as the Physics,in order to get a clearer grasp.In fact,although the understanding of energeia and dunamis is indispensable in arguing for the unity of the two sets of analogies,the key to comprehending the two analogical examples is neither dunamis nor energeia,but the understanding of "analogy" and "Analogical Unity",With the clarification of the distinction between Analogical Unity and Numerical Unity and Kind(species-genus)unity,the vertical unity of the two sets of analogical examples can be attributed to the structural similarity brought about by analogy.Additionally,analyzing the relationship between pros hen and the three types of unity helps to distinguish the difference between "focal meaning" and "toward unity/one" or "in the relation to unity/one"(pros hen).The "focal meaning" is the "toward unity" with content,while the latter is the content-free expression of the former.The tools of "focal meaning" in the sense of substance-nonsubstance cannot be directly applied to the analogous examples of dunamis and energeia.However,when dunamis and energeia are combined with the being in the sense of categories,especially with the concept of substance,there is a horizontal unity in the sense of focus regarding the dunamis and energeia of primary categories,substance,and the dunamis and energeia of other categories(quality,quantity,place,time,active,passive,etc.).Overall,the unity between the two sets of analogical examples from dunamis and energeia is still itself only a unity of analogy or structural similarity,a vertical relationship.This paper ultimately argues that the two sets of examples enjoy different unities in the vertical and horizontal sense,respectively.