- Hexis
Hexis is a Greek word, important in the philosophy of
Aristotle . It stems from a verb related topossession , and Jacob Klein, for example, translates it as "possession". It is more typically translated in modern texts as "state " (e.g.Rackham ) but "disposition " is perhaps the least controversial choice. Joe Sachs, who in the tradition of Klein tries to be as literal as possible, translates it as "active condition".For the meaning of "hexis" and the related term "
diathesis ", seeAristotle Categories viii, andMetaphysics V.xx.2.1022b, compared with V.xix.1022a. It becomes clear that what is important in being a "hexis" is having a stable arrangement of parts. Beingstatic , as opposed tostable , does not seem to be mentioned. ("Stasis ", in Greek, was “rest”.) In fact, it would seem that neither a "hexis" nor a "dunamis " are static or moving because they do notexist in that way, whereas the argument ofMetaphysics IX makes clear that what actually exists is something moving."Hexis" is contrasted with "
energeia " (in the sense ofactivity oroperation ) atNicomachean Ethics I.viii.1098b33 andEudemian Ethics II.i.1218b.This type of distinction is often seen as a distinction between an activity and a fixed unchanging state, which is a distinction that makes some intuitive sense, because people tend to analyse
causality in terms ofidealized , butimaginary ,states and changes in states. People think this way even though the possibility of a true state, or indeed anything at all which is unchanging is something highly problematic whenever one attempts to find a real equivalent to such beings. Indeed, the problem of whether there are any real unchanging beings was a major question behind much ofGreek philosophy .
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