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Edward Feser schools me on Aristotelian tendencies in contemporary metaphysics

Said in his talk at the conference on science and religion at Steubenville, where he stands out from the others:

"Recent decades have seen within mainstream academic philosophy, a renewed interest in traditional Aristotelian metaphysical notions, like substance, essence, causal power, act vs. potency (these days referred to as the distinction act  distinction between categorical and dispositional properties) and finality (these days referred to as 'physical intentionality' or the 'directedness of dispositions toward their manifestions')--different jargon, substantively the same.  Moreovers this revival has taken place among secular metaphysicians with no Thomistic axe to grind..."

Contemporary analytic metaphysicians use the term "disposition" rather than "power."

George Molnar in his book Powers: a Metaphysical Study, calls it "physical intentionality," and John Hyle calls it "natural intentionality" for similar reasons in From an Ontological Point of View.

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