God, Self, Society - Metaphysical Terms

Potency/Act

Potency is the potential that something has (acorn can grow into a tree)

Act or actuality is the fulfillment of that potential (becoming a tree)

Conditioned/ unconditioned reality

conditioned realities depend on something else to exist and they are a realized possibility

unconditioned realities have no conditions for its existence, they exist solely because it is their nature to exist

natural science vs. metaphysics

natural science - uses hypotheses and tests to find evidence to prove the hypotheses true

metaphysics - uses “either or” categories so that when we prove one category is false then it automatically falls into the other, absolute disjunctives

essence vs. existence

essence - what is is, a horned horse

existence - that it is, the actualization of the unicorn

causal series

a series of cause and effects that happen (go to school, go to college, get job)

accidentally ordered series

series in which the first cause does not have to keep being present in order for the series to continue

essentially ordered series

it is essential for the first cause to stay active for the series to keep running