Powers

This edited volume explores the history of the concept of metaphysical powers. Examples of such powers include the power of fire to heat water, the power of a wine glass to break, and the power of an acorn to grow into a tree. The volume traces the fascinating history of this concept from antiquity to the present day, with chapters written by experts in their fields. Scholars probe the philosophical views of thinkers including Anaxagoras, Plato, the Stoics, Abelard, Anselm, Henry of Ghent, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Margaret Cavendish, Mary Shepherd, Immanuel Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and numerous others. In addition, the volume contains four short reflection essays that examine the concept of powers from the perspective of disciplines other than philosophy, namely history of music, West African religions, history of chemistry, and history of art.