Potential

Potential/Potency

Potential is the inherent capacity for coming into being. The concept of potency was used by Aristotle (cf., McInerny, 1995), who understood it as a kind of capacity, which is a correlative of action. When working with wood to establish a certain form the wood is brought from a formless state to a formed state. In the formed wood a potency is actualized. Also the worker actualizes his potentials during the process.

In information science has Hjørland (1992) defined the concept of subject as the informative potentials of documents.

Documents, libraries and information services are very much about potential use. When indexing a document, for example, the indexer facilitates some uses on behalf of other uses of that document. He newer knows what question will actually be asked in relation to his indexing or how that document may or nay not be useful. It is important that the indexers can sense potentials in the document.

Literature:

Hjørland, B. (1992). The Concept of "Subject" in Information Science. Journal of Documentation, 48(2), 172-200. Click for full-text PDF

Mammen, J. (1994). En realistisk begrebsteori: Om forholdet mellem virksomhedsteorien og den økologiske kognitive psykologi. Pp. 43-58 IN: Mammen, Jens & Mariane Hedegaard: Virksomhedsteori i udvikling. Århus: Psykologisk Institut, Aarhus Universitet. http://www.db.dk/jni/lifeboat/Concepts/Mammen_realistisk%20begrebsteori_1994.PDF

McInerny, R. (1995). Potency. P. 635 in: Audi, Robert (Ed.): The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. Cambridge & New York: Cambridge University Press.