Actus primus
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Actus primus, or first actuality, is a technical expression used in
The Latin word actus means determination, complement. In every being there are many actualities, which are subordinated. Thus existence supposes essence; power supposes existence; action supposes faculty. The first actuality (actus primus) begins a series; it supposes no other actuality preceding it in the same series, but calls for a further complement, namely, the second actuality (actus secundus).[1]
But as the same reality may be called "actuality" when viewed in the light of what precedes, and "potentiality" when viewed in the light of what follows (see
And this is the most frequent application of the terms actus primus and actus secundus. The former is the faculty; the latter, the exercise or function. To see in actu primo simply means to have the sense of vision; to see in actu secundo is to actually perform acts of vision. The modern distinction of
See also
- Actus Purus
- Actus Essendi
References
- ^ a b c d One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Dubray, C. (1907). "Actus primus". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.