Hexis vs Dynamis: Key Differences in Greek Philosophy
Hexis and dynamis describe different stages in the development of capability. Dynamis is raw potential, the capacity you have but have not yet stabilized through practice. Hexis is that same capacity once it has been trained into a reliable disposition. Understanding the difference helps you distinguish between someone who can do something occasionally and someone who will do it consistently.
Definitions
Hexis
(ἕξις)
HEX-is
A stable disposition or settled state of character acquired through repeated action. For Aristotle, hexis represents the intermediate condition between mere capacity and active expression—the ingrained habit that shapes how you reliably respond to situations.
Dynamis
(δύναμις)
DOO-nah-miss
The inherent capacity or potential power within a thing to become what it is meant to be. In Aristotle’s metaphysics, dynamis represents the latent possibility that precedes actualization (energeia)—the acorn’s power to become an oak, the student’s potential to become a master.
Key Differences
| Aspect | Hexis | Dynamis |
|---|---|---|
| Stability | Hexis is a stable, enduring state. Once a disposition is formed through practice, it persists and resists change. | Dynamis is unstable potential. A capacity that has not been developed through practice may or may not manifest in any given situation. |
| Reliability | Hexis produces reliable behavior. A person with a well-formed hexis will respond consistently because the disposition has been integrated into their character. | Dynamis produces variable behavior. A person with unrealized potential may perform brilliantly one day and poorly the next. |
| Formation | Hexis is formed through repeated action. Aristotle argued that we acquire virtues by first exercising them, the way a builder becomes a builder by building. | Dynamis exists prior to development. It is the raw capacity that training and practice will shape into a stable disposition. |
| Relationship to Character | Hexis is character itself. Your virtues and vices are hexeis, stable dispositions that determine how you consistently act. | Dynamis precedes character. It is the material from which character is built but does not yet constitute character. |
Stability
Hexis is a stable, enduring state. Once a disposition is formed through practice, it persists and resists change.
Dynamis is unstable potential. A capacity that has not been developed through practice may or may not manifest in any given situation.
Reliability
Hexis produces reliable behavior. A person with a well-formed hexis will respond consistently because the disposition has been integrated into their character.
Dynamis produces variable behavior. A person with unrealized potential may perform brilliantly one day and poorly the next.
Formation
Hexis is formed through repeated action. Aristotle argued that we acquire virtues by first exercising them, the way a builder becomes a builder by building.
Dynamis exists prior to development. It is the raw capacity that training and practice will shape into a stable disposition.
Relationship to Character
Hexis is character itself. Your virtues and vices are hexeis, stable dispositions that determine how you consistently act.
Dynamis precedes character. It is the material from which character is built but does not yet constitute character.
When to Apply Each Concept
When to Choose Hexis
Focus on hexis when assessing someone’s reliability or your own. The question is not ‘Can they do it?’ but ‘Will they do it consistently?’ When hiring, building teams, or evaluating your own readiness for greater responsibility, hexis is the relevant lens. A person’s stable dispositions predict their behavior far more accurately than their occasional peak performance.
When to Choose Dynamis
Focus on dynamis when assessing potential for growth. When identifying talent, exploring new skills, or deciding what to develop next, dynamis is the relevant lens. The question is: ‘What latent capacities could be developed through deliberate practice?’ Dynamis points to the growth frontier where investment of effort will produce the most significant returns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between hexis and dynamis?
Hexis is a stable disposition formed through repeated practice. Dynamis is potential capacity that has not yet been developed into a reliable trait. A novice musician has the dynamis for excellence. A master musician has the hexis. The difference is that hexis is dependable while dynamis is merely possible.
How does dynamis become hexis?
Dynamis becomes hexis through repeated, deliberate practice. Aristotle's core insight about virtue formation is that we become what we repeatedly do. By exercising a capacity consistently, the initially effortful action becomes a stable disposition. The shy person who practices speaking up develops the hexis of confident expression. The key is sustained repetition until the behavior requires less conscious effort.
Why does hexis matter more than dynamis?
Hexis matters more for practical purposes because it predicts actual behavior. Potential is valuable but unrealized potential produces nothing. A team of people with excellent hexeis will outperform a team of people with greater dynamis but undeveloped dispositions. In Aristotle's framework, the goal of development is always to convert raw potential into stable excellence.
Articles Exploring Hexis or Dynamis (17)
You Don't Need More Willpower. You Need a Better Sequence.
The people with the most discipline often needed the least of it. They sequenced their changes so well that each one created gravitational pull toward the next.
Why Staying Silent Is the Most Expensive Thing You'll Ever Do
Every swallowed truth is a down payment on becoming someone you don't recognize. The Greeks had a word for what's missing: parrhesia.
Your Best Days Aren't Behind You. Unless You Keep Looking Back.
The glory days trap isn't about memory. It's about identity. Living in the past is a form of self-protection that guarantees self-limitation.
Most People Need a Crisis to Try Their Hardest. That's a Character Flaw.
Crisis unlocks extraordinary performance. But needing crisis to access your best means your best isn't really yours. It belongs to whatever circumstances happen to arrive.
Stop Asking 'What Should I Do?' Start Asking 'Who Should I Become?'
Everyone optimizes their actions. Almost no one optimizes who they're becoming. The obsession with tactics keeps people trapped while the strategic question goes unanswered.
Your Goals Aren't Too Big. Your Sacrifices Are Too Small.
You don't have an ambition problem. You have a payment problem. Everyone wants the dream. Almost no one wants to pay what it actually costs.
"Discipline Is for Losers"? The Obsession You're Jealous Of Started There
The person calling discipline 'for losers' is watching masters and missing the decades of discipline underneath. What looks like obsession is hexis. The discipline came first.
Your Confidence Is Fake. Here's How to Build the Real Thing.
The modern confidence industry sells shortcuts that produce fragile leaders. Real confidence follows the ancient sequence: courage first, then competence, then confidence.
Why Do Most New Year's Resolutions Die Before February?
I watched a man fail his resolution in an ice cream shop parking lot. Not because he ate ice cream. Because he was already negotiating with Monday. The timing was wrong before he started.
What If Your 'Personal Best' Is Actually Your Personal Belief?
Everyone treats their personal best as an objective measurement. But what if it's actually a prophecy? What if the limit you keep hitting is the limit you keep expecting to hit?
The Momentum Machine: How Relentless Reps Turn Impossible into Routine
The difference between extraordinary achievement and constant restarting isn't talent or luck. It's whether you've built a momentum machine that runs even when motivation dies.
Build Habits for Your Worst Day, Not Your Best
You've been designing habits for the version of you that exists after good sleep, full of motivation, in ideal conditions. That version shows up maybe 20% of the time. Here's how to build for the other 80%.
Good Intentions Are Why Most Dreams Die
Everyone celebrates good intentions. 'At least their heart was in the right place.' But intentions aren't neutral. They're a sophisticated form of self-deception that lets you feel virtuous about dreams you're not actually building.
Character Isn't What You Post. It's What You Practice.
Social media has convinced us that visible virtue is real virtue. Aristotle knew better. Character is the pattern of what you do when no one's watching, not the highlight reel you curate for strangers.
You're Not Getting Ready. You're Hiding.
Preparation is the most sophisticated form of procrastination. It feels productive. It looks responsible. And it keeps you exactly where you are.
Metanoia: The Transformation Mindset for Leaders
The Greeks understood that lasting change requires complete transformation of mind, heart, and character. Most organizational change fails because leaders try to change everything except themselves. Here's the ancient solution.
Arete: Why Excellence is a Way of Being, Not Achieving
The Greeks understood something we've forgotten: excellence isn't something you achieve, it's something you become. This fundamental shift changes everything about how you approach work, leadership, and life.
