The World as Active Power: Studies in the History of European Reason (Brill's Studies in Intellectual History)

What is the ultimate explanatory factor for the existence of the world, for all its changing phenomena and the enduring order found in it? In the history of Western thought, we can find a longstanding philosophical tendency to answer this question in terms of power: the universe is understood as an ordered whole produced by a rational power, that is, by the power of reason. That power is thought to be active in the sense of being capable of existing and acting in itself as an infinite, eternal, and unchangeable cause of the world. The essays in this collection discuss the idea of active power in the world-explanations of Plato, the Stoics, Neoplatonism, early and late medieval scholasticism, Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel, and Schopenhauer." Plato's Dualism : The Cosmos As Active And Passive Power / Juhani Pietarinen -- The Active Principle In Stoic Philosophy / Håvard Løkke -- Plotinus On Act And Power / Eyjólfur Kjalar Emilsson -- Power And Activity In Early Medieval Philosophy / Tomas Ekenberg -- Power And Possibility In Thomas Aquinas / Andreas Schmidt -- Causal Power In Descartes' Mind-body Union / Juhani Pietarinen -- De Novo Creat : Descartes On Action, Interaction, And Continuous Creation / Timo Kajamies -- Motion And Reason : Hobbes' Difficulties With The Idea Of Active Power / Juhani Pietarinen -- Spinoza's Actualist Model Of Power / Valtteri Viljanen -- Leibniz On Force, Activity, And Passivity / Arto Repo And Valtteri Viljanen -- Kant On Force And Activity / Arto Repo And Hemmo Laiho -- Differences That Are None : Hegel's Theory Of Force In The Phenomenology Of Spirit / Andreas Schmidt -- Schopenhauer's Twofold Dynamism / Valtteri Viljanen. Edited By Juhani Pietarinen And Valtteri Viljanen. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Plato's dualism : the cosmos as active and passive power / Juhani Pietarinen -- The active principle in stoic philosophy / Havard Lokke -- Plotinus on act and power / Eyjolfur Kjalar Emilsson -- Power and activity in early medieval philosophy / Tomas Ekenberg -- Power and possibility in Thomas Aquinas / Andreas Schmidt -- Causal power in Descartes' mind-body union / Juhani Pietarinen -- De novo creat : Descartes on action, interaction, and continuous creation / Timo Kajamies -- Motion and reason : Hobbes's difficulties with the idea of active power / Juhani Pietarinen -- Spinoza's actualist model of power/ valtteri viljanen -- Leibniz on force, activity, and passivity / Arto Repo and Valtteri Viljanen -- Kant on force and activity / Arto Repo and Hemmo Laiho -- Differences that are none : Hegel's theory of force in the phenomenology of spirit / Andreas Schmidt -- Schopenhauer's twofold dynamism / Valtteri Viljanen This collection of essays discusses a central feature of European philosophy: the idea of a universal active power as the ultimate world-explanation. The development of this idea is traced from Plato onwards, as it traverses through Stoicism, Neoplatonism, medieval scholasticism, and modern rationalism to Hegel and Schopenhauer.