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entelechy

   Also found in: Medical, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
en·tel·e·chy  (n-tl-k)
n. pl. en·tel·e·chies
1. In the philosophy of Aristotle, the condition of a thing whose essence is fully realized; actuality.
2. In some philosophical systems, a vital force that directs an organism toward self-fulfillment.

[Late Latin entelecha, from Greek entelekheia : entels, complete (en-, in; see en-2 + telos, completion; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots) + ekhein, to have; see segh- in Indo-European roots.]

entelechy [ɛnˈtɛlɪkɪ]
n pl -chies Metaphysics
1. (Philosophy) (in the philosophy of Aristotle) actuality as opposed to potentiality
2. (Philosophy) (in the system of Leibnitz) the soul or principle of perfection of an object or person; a monad or basic constituent
3. (Philosophy) something that contains or realizes a final cause, esp the vital force thought to direct the life of an organism
[from Late Latin entelechia, from Greek entelekheia, from en-2 + telos goal, completion + ekhein to have]

entelechy
Vitalism. a vital agent or force directing growth and life. Cf. teleology.entelechial, adj.
See also: Philosophy
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.entelechy - (Aristotle) the state of something that is fully realized; actuality as opposed to potentiality
metaphysics - the philosophical study of being and knowing
Aristotle - one of the greatest of the ancient Athenian philosophers; pupil of Plato; teacher of Alexander the Great (384-322 BC)
actuality - the state of actually existing objectively; "a hope that progressed from possibility to actuality"


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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
As James Joyce's Stephen Daedalus puts it, with characteristically obscure syntax, "I, entelechy, form of forms, am I by memory because under ever-changing forms.
Diamond and North Wind, and old Diamond for that matter, representing not so much distinct entities as degrees in the Chain of Being, North Wind--Diamond's daimon and ipso facto his entelechy, the vital force that directs him to self-fulfillment--is what Diamond will become (as Diamond is what she once was).
Until our entelechy is redirected to the realm of the spirit, man's barbarity will thrive in a naturalistically closed society run astray from its potentiality to be brought up into the true scientific attitude of a genuinely open society.
 
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