Albert the Great on the Soul and Its Powers

abstract: Many scholars hold that Albert the Great favors a distinction theory of the soul and its powers. According to this theory, the soul is a substance, while its powers are qualities. In this paper, I challenge this interpretation. I argue that Albert takes the soul itself to be the power to vivify the body. I also show that, for Albert, such powers as sight, which are qualities distinct from the soul, depend on this basic vivifying power. To this end, I expound Albert ’s claim that the power to vivify is “determined and specified ” by such powers as sight.