The metaphor of the acorn growing into an oak tree not only illustrates the concept of potentiality moving towards actuality but also symbolizes the humanistic belief in the positive and natural development of human beings towards their fullest potential.

Aristotle

Aristotle's concept of entelechy refers to the realization of potential. For example, an acorn's entelechy is becoming a tree. Aristotle suggests that each being has an end goal or purpose (telos) and a specific function (ergon) to achieve this end. The oak tree grows from acorn to full oak, reflecting the movement from potentiality to actuality (energeia). This process explains change while maintaining the essence of true being.

Aristotle uses the metaphor of an acorn growing into an oak tree to illustrate his concept of entelechy, the realization of potential. While the exact metaphor may not appear verbatim, the analogy is implicit in his discussions on potentiality and actuality.

The following passages elaborate on the idea that entelechy represents the actualization of potential, where entities move towards their natural end or purpose, much like an acorn naturally grows into an oak tree.

λέγομεν δὴ γένος ἕν τι τῶν ὄντων τὴν οὐσίαν, ταύτης δὲ τὸ μὲν ὡς ὕλην, ὃ καθ᾽ αὑτὸ μὲν οὐκ ἔστι τόδε τι, ἕτερον δὲ μορφὴν καὶ εἶδος, καθ᾽ ἣν ἤδη λέγεται τόδε τι, καὶ τρίτον τὸ ἐκ τούτων. ἔστι δ᾽ ἡ μὲν ὕλη δύναμις, τὸ δ᾽ εἶδος ἐντελέχεια... ἀναγκαῖον ἄρα τὴν ψυχὴν οὐσίαν εἶναι ὡς εἶδος σώματος φυσικοῦ δυνάμει ζωὴν éyorτος. ἡ οὐσια ἐντελέχεια. τοιούτου ἄρα σώματος ἐντελέχεια.
(De Anima, Book II, 413a.2 & 19)

"Now there is one class of existent things which we call substance, including under the term, firstly, matter, which in itself is not this or that; secondly, shape or form, in virtue of which the term this or that is at once applied; thirdly, the whole made up of matter and form. Matter is identical with potentiality, form with actuality… It must follow, then, that soul is substance in the sense that it is the form of a natural body having in it the capacity of life. Such substance is actuality. The soul, therefore, is the actuality of the body above described."

This passage explains entelechy as the realization of potential in living beings, where the soul (entelechy) is the actualizing principle of the body.

Καὶ ὅτι ἅπαν ἐπ’ ἀρχηὴν βαδίζει τὸ γιγνόμενον καὶ τέλος (ἀρχηὴ γὰρ τὸ οὗ ἕνεκα, τοῦ τέλους δὲ ἕνεκα ἡ γένεσις), τέλος δ' ἡ ἐνέργεια, καὶ τούτου χάριν ἡ δύναμις λαμβάνεται.
(Metaphysics, Book IX, Chapter 8, 1050a.8)

"…and because everything that comes to be moves towards a principle, i.e. an end (for that for the sake of which a thing is, is its principle, and the becoming is for the sake of the end), and the actuality is the end, and it is for the sake of this that the potency is acquired."

Hegel

"A building is not finished when its foundation is laid; and just as little, is the attainment of a general notion of a whole the whole itself. When we want to see an oak with all its vigor of trunk, its spreading branches, and mass of foliage, we are not satisfied to be shown an acorn instead. In the same way science, the crowning glory of a spiritual world, is not found complete in its initial stages."
(Phenomenology of Spirit, 1807, Preface)

Traditional logic might analyze the mature tree, divide it into anatomical sections similar to other trees, and provide a static description in general terms. Hegel's method, however, would start with the acorn and observe the various stages of growth to maturity. The terms of the description would arise from observing the growing tree itself, resulting in a final description that includes every stage of the tree's development and uses specific terminology pertinent to the tree.

"An acorn is a 'possible' or potential oak-tree. The 'possibility' of the oak tree is the 'concept' of an oak-tree embodied in the acorn. As the plant grows, it gradually actualizes this concept and becomes an actual oak tree."
(Michael Inwood: A Commentary on Hegel's Philosophy of Mind, 2013, p. 305)

The idea that the 'last term' (das Letzte) is also the 'first term' (das Erste), driving the process by which it is attained, is a key concept in Hegel's philosophy. This corresponds to the notion that the third term is a higher-level restoration or sublation of the first. For example, the mature oak tree realizes its concept by incorporating and surpassing the earlier stages of acorn and sapling. The concept is inherent in the acorn and drives the growth of the tree, making it both the initial and final term.

Thus, to use examples that Hegel mentions in the Preface to the Phenomenology of Spirit, it makes perfectly good sense to describe a fully grown oak tree as the realization of its concept, i.e., what is contained as genetic structure in the acorn out of which the tree has developed.

Nietzsche

In Friedrich Nietzsche's aphoristic brilliance, we find a profound meditation on potential and its precarious nature:

"The most wretched little animal can prevent the mightiest oak tree from coming into existence by eating the acorn."
(Untimely Meditations)

In this statement, Nietzsche uses a metaphor to illustrate the delicate and often precarious nature of potentiality. The "most wretched little animal" represents seemingly insignificant or minor events and actions that have the power to alter the course of more significant outcomes. Here, the "mightiest oak tree" symbolizes the grand, realized potential that lies within an acorn.

By stating that a small animal can prevent the growth of a mighty oak by simply eating the acorn, Nietzsche emphasizes how vulnerable potentiality is to external conditions and influences. The acorn, despite its capacity to develop into a grand tree, requires favorable circumstances—such as fertile soil, sunlight, and protection from threats—to actualize its potential. This metaphor underscores the idea that potential alone is not enough; it must be nurtured and safeguarded against adversities to achieve its fullest expression.

Miscellaneous

The oak tree and acorn have also been associated with wisdom and knowledge. The ancient Celts believed that the oak tree was a portal to other worlds and that its branches reached up to the heavens, where the gods and goddesses resided. They believed that the acorn held within it the knowledge of the universe and that by eating it, they could gain access to this wisdom. In this way, the oak tree and acorn represent the pursuit of knowledge and the desire to understand the mysteries of the universe.

The proverb 'From Tiny Little Acorns Mighty Oak Trees Grow' or ‘Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow’ is a well-known phrase that has been passed down for generations. It means that small and seemingly insignificant beginnings can lead to great and significant outcomes in the future. This saying uses the metaphor of an acorn, which is a small seed, having the potential to grow into a mighty oak tree. It emphasizes the idea that even the smallest actions or efforts can have a profound impact over time, and that greatness often starts from humble origins. This aligns with the philosophical reflection that potential, represented by the acorn, must be nurtured and protected to realize its full potential, symbolized by the grand oak tree.

Actuality and Potentiality

Actualization is the transition from the state of potentiality into the state of reality (realization). I use this term for the process of self-manifestation of Hyponoesis as the various aspects of our world, such as Mind (Exonoesis) and Matter (Exohyle). Actualization also refers to another process, that of individuation, which manifests individual forms that integrate the various actualized aspects of Hyponoesis. Hyponoesis contains everything as potential, possible and yet unexpressed.

The process that leads to an actuality is called actualization. Synonyms are individuation, differentiation, and emanation. The process leading back to potentiality is called potentialization. Synonyms are deindividuation, unification.

An actuality is a well-defined, structured, determined, individual entity that exists in time and space (real entity = thing, object) or just in time (ideal entity = idea, thought). The idea of existence in time is also part of Kant's definition of the term 'Wirklichkeit' (= reality, actuality): "The schema of reality is existence at a given time." (Critique of Pure Reason, B184)

Potentiality on the other hand is undefined, unstructured, undetermined. It does not exist in the sense of actuality, and it is neither in time nor space. Potentiality is the infinite capacity to become manifested in a finite number of differentiated aspects and forms. Potentiality is all-comprehensive, universal and includes everything but not as single, individual objects, but just as potentiality.

Although a number of thinkers use the term 'possibility' synonymously with potentiality, it is not the same. Possibility is defined as what is possible in terms of the logical categories or laws of rationality. This is a very limited usage and does not apply to the idea that potentiality is capable of actualizing something that is not possible based on the laws of rational logic. The potential is not just the conceivable but the inconceivable. Our world and its actual forms are like a polarized filter that screens out certain wavelengths of the sunlight. Our world, therefore, is only a subset of actualized forms of the whole potentiality of reality, i.e. Hyponoesis.

In philosophy, potentiality has a more specific meaning, namely, the aptitude to change, to act or to be acted upon, to give or to receive some new determination (capable of determination). Potentia is the determinable being. Actuality specifically refers to the fulfillment of the capacity to change, to act, or to give or receive some new determination. Actus is the determined being as juxtaposed to Potentia, the determinable being.

Based on the above etymological significations, we can distinguish two processes, one of Actualization and one of Potentialization. The process from potentiality to actuality is characterized by the principle of individuation or actualization (principium actualiationis). Factors that determine the actualization process are time and space, i.e. matter as the finite and concrete aspect of all phenomena, including man. Actualized entities express themselves through action, which translates to motion, which is fundamentally action in time and space. To act means to exist, to sustain its own being and existence. There is no life without acting. Action as the transition from potentiality to actuality means change, both quantitative and qualitative change.

The process from actuality back to potentiality is characterized by the principle of de-individuation or potentialization (principium potentialiationis). The factor that determines the potentialization process is mind, i.e. the infinite and universal aspect of man. Mind has the capacity to transcend itself, to go beyond its individuality to the universal ground of reality, which is pure potentiality.

Note the prefix 'en-' (in, into) in en-ergeia and en-telecheia: it could be translated as in-actuality or in-actualization. I also described this process when discussing "in-formation", the process of instantiating form from the potentiality of the ultimate reality 'into' the actuality of the perceived reality of our universe.

Similarly, the process of actualization is a process of initiating action into the time-space continuum, which causes change and transition from potentiality to actuality. To exist is the same as to act. Acting is not just considered the outward, expressed form of action or activity that is observable, but also the cognitive and psychological activity of our mind. Anything that happens or occurs in time and space, any event is a determined action.

Acts are determined, concrete, and individual (plurality of phenomena). Since acts are the result of actualized potentiality, they are at the same time also potentialized actualities, i.e., the refer back to the unitary potentiality out of which they were "en-acted". In other words, although acts are the result of the actualization process, acts also are the initiators of the reverse process: potentialization.

Mind, as the factor of potentialization, moves in two dimensions: a) the actual dimension of noetic activity (rationality) and the b) potential dimension of Paranoesis (Transrational Thinking), which consists not in a form of activity or action (which is always concrete), but in a state of non-activity (compare Taoist concept of 'wu-wei' = non-action) that transcends the individual form of our mind in order to become universal and therefore potential (an-energeia).

Etymology

• Initially from Aristotle: δύναμις (dynamis): capability of existing or acting, potentiality, power, faculty, capacity.
• Translated to Latin as potentia, from potere/posse (be powerful, be able/capable).
• Common usage:
  • Capable of being but not yet in existence, latent.
  • Having possibility, capability, or power.
  • Possessing the capacity for growth and development.
  • Synonyms: dispositional, virtual, possible, unrealized, unexpressed, latent, potency, conceivability.
• Philosophical usage:
  • Aptitude to change, to act or to be acted upon, to give or to receive some new determination (capable of determination).
  • Potentia = determinable being.

• Initially from Aristotle: ἐνεργέια (energeia): activity, operation, performance, full reality, act, functioning, actualization.
• Also from Greek: ἐντελέχεια (entelecheia): full, complete reality; state of completion or perfection; the form that is actualized, actuality, perfection.
• Translated to Latin as actus (act, motion, action), from agere (act, do).
• Also from Latin: actualis (what exists in reality, effective, active), actualitas (reality, effectiveness).
• Common usage:
  • Existing and not merely potential or possible.
  • ynonyms: real, occurrent, existent, realization, entelechy, substantiality, determination.
• Philosophical usage:
  • The fulfillment of the capacity to change, to act, or to give or receive some new determination.
  • Actus = determined being.