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ActiveintellectWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Activeintellect
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Theactiveintellect(alsotranslatedasagentintellect,activeintelligence,activereason,
orproductiveintellect)isaconceptinclassicalandmedievalphilosophy.Thetermrefersto
theformal(morphe)aspectoftheintellect(nous),inaccordancewiththetheoryofhylomorphism.
Thenatureoftheactiveintellectwasthesubjectofintensediscussioninmedievalphilosophy,asvarious
Muslim,JewishandChristianthinkerssoughttoreconciletheircommitmenttoAristotle'saccountofthe
bodyandsoultotheirowntheologicalcommitments.AtstakeinparticularwasinwhatwayAristotle's
accountofanincorporealsoulmightcontributetounderstandingofthenatureofeternallife.
Contents[hide]
1Aristotle
2Interpretations
3References
4Sources
5Seealso
6Externallinks

Aristotle

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TheideaisfirstencounteredinAristotle'sDeAnima,BookIII.Followingisthetranslationofoneofthose
passages(DeAnima,Bk.III,ch.5,430a1025)byJoeSachs,withsomenotesabouttheGreek:[1]
...sinceinnatureonethingisthematerial(hul)foreachkind(genos)(thisiswhatis
inpotencyalltheparticularthingsofthatkind)butitissomethingelsethatisthecausaland
productivethingbywhichallofthemareformed,asisthecasewithanartinrelationtoits
material,itisnecessaryinthesoul(psuch)toothatthesedistinctaspectsbepresent
theonesortisintellect(nous)bybecomingallthings,theothersortbyformingallthings,in
thewayanactivecondition(hexis)likelighttoomakesthecolorsthatareinpotencybeat
workascolors(tophspoieitadunameiontachrmataenergeiaichrmata).
Thissortofintellect[whichislikelightinthewayitmakespotentialthingsworkaswhatthey
are]isseparate,aswellasbeingwithoutattributesandunmixed,sinceitisbyitsthinghood
abeingatwork,forwhatactsisalwaysdistinguishedinstatureabovewhatisactedupon,as
agoverningsourceisabovethematerialitworkson.
Knowledge(epistm),initsbeingatwork,isthesameasthethingitknows,andwhile
knowledgeinpotencycomesfirstintimeinanyoneknower,inthewholeofthingsitdoesnot
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ActiveintellectWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

takeprecedenceevenintime.
Thisdoesnotmeanthatatonetimeitthinksbutatanothertimeitdoesnotthink,butwhen
separateditisjustexactlywhatitis,andthisaloneisdeathlessandeverlasting(thoughwe
havenomemory,becausethissortofintellectisnotactedupon,whilethesortthatisacted
uponisdestructible),andwithoutthisnothingthinks.
Thepassagetriestoexplain"howthehumanintellectpassesfromitsoriginalstate,inwhichitdoesnot
think,toasubsequentstate,inwhichitdoes."Heinferredthattheenergeia/dunamisdistinctionmustalso
existinthesoulitself.[2]Aristotlesaysthatthepassiveintellectreceivestheintelligibleformsofthings,but
thattheactiveintellectisrequiredtomakethepotentialknowledgeintoactualknowledge,inthesameway
thatlightmakespotentialcolorsintoactualcolors.
ThepassageisoftenreadtogetherwithMetaphysics,BookXII,ch.710,whereAristotlealsodiscussesthe
humanmindanddistinguishesbetweentheactiveandpassiveintellects.InthatpassageAristotleappears
toequatetheactiveintellectwiththe"unmovedmover"andGod.[3]

Interpretations

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Sachscommentsthatthenatureoftheactiveintellectwas"thesourceofamassiveamountof
commentaryandoffiercedisagreement"elsewhere,chapter5ofDeAnimahasbeenreferredtoas"the
mostintenselystudiedsentencesinthehistoryofphilosophy".[2]AsDavidsonremarks:
JustwhatAristotlemeantbypotentialintellectandactiveintellecttermsnotevenexplicitin
theDeanimaandatbestimpliedandjusthowheunderstoodtheinteractionbetweenthem
remain

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