actuality

philosophy

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July 23, 2026

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In philosophy, actuality refers to the state of being real or existing in fact. It is the opposite of potentiality, which is the possibility of something developing or becoming actual. Actuality can also mean the quality of being actual or complete, or something that actually exists.12

In Aristotelian philosophy, actuality is a key concept alongside potentiality. It describes a substance's state of being fully realized or in its natural form, as opposed to what it has the potential to become. A philosophical doctrine called actualism posits that all existence is active or spiritual, or that reality is founded on activity and process.34

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metaphysics
Aristotelianism
form and matter, potentiality and actuality, and cause (see Aristotle: Physics and metaphysics). Whatever happens involves some substance or substances; unless there were substances, in the sense of concrete existents, nothing whatsoever could be real. Substances, however, are not, as the name might suggest, mere parcels of matter; they are…
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form and matter, potentiality and actuality, and cause (see Aristotle: Physics and metaphysics). Whatever happens involves some substance or substances; unless there were substances, in the sense of concrete existents, nothing whatsoever could be real. Substances, however, are not, as the name might suggest, mere parcels of matter; they are…
Read More

David Kellogg Lewis
…things do not differ from actual things in any fundamentally important way; nonactual human beings, for example, are very much like actual human beings. The largest and most inclusive nonactual things, which are not parts of any larger nonactual things, are nonactual worlds. The actual world, the object that is…
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…things do not differ from actual things in any fundamentally important way; nonactual human beings, for example, are very much like actual human beings. The largest and most inclusive nonactual things, which are not parts of any larger nonactual things, are nonactual worlds. The actual world, the object that is…
Read More