In Metaphysics, Aristotle examines the essence of existence and reality, tackling the quintessential query of what it means to “be.” At the heart of this examination is his differentiation between potentiality and actuality, a fundamental aspect of his philosophical schema. This concept suggests that the existence of any entity can be deciphered through its actuality—its present form and condition—and its potentiality—its capability for alteration and growth. Aristotle’s scrutiny of this theme transcends theoretical dissection; it emerges as a pragmatic instrument for understanding the metamorphic processes in nature and the essence of beings. At the heart of Aristotle’s understanding is this dichotomy, and indeed his understanding of much of the world is based on dichotomies and relationships between tangible pairs.

For Aristotle, the metaphor of a seed exemplifies this idea of potentiality, being potentially a tree yet in actuality a seed. This understanding allows Aristotle to unravel nature’s metamorphic mechanisms, yielding insights into the heart of beings. He posits that substances, reality’s most elemental entities, harbor intrinsic attributes that delineate their actual state, yet also harbor the capacity for change. This viewpoint on existence is not static but dynamic, acknowledging the inherent propensity for alteration and growth in all entities.