ACTIVE Power, in metaphysics, the power of executing any work or labour; in contradistinction to speculative powers*, or the powers of seeing, hearing, remembering, judging, reasoning, &c.
The exertion of active power we call action; and as every action produces some change, so every change must be caused by some effect, or by the cessation of some exertion of power. That which produces a change by the exertion of its power, we call the cause of that change; and the change produced, the effect of that cause. See METAPHYSICS.