Power as an ontological phenomenon in the context of metaphysical and post-metaphysical consideration

The work is devoted to the consideration of the problem of power research in the ontological aspect. The complexity and ambiguity of the semantic and conceptual content of the phenomenon is outlined. On the basis of historical-philosophical, semantic, hermeneutic analysis some features of metaphysical and post-metaphysical lines of interpretation of power are highlighted and revealed. It is demonstrated that in classical philosophy the construction of the corresponding concepts is carried out in the context of the metaphysical understanding of power, based on the assertion and development of the idea of its substantiality. In the post-metaphysical optics of meaning, the focus is on relational specificity, exploring the eventual, existential nature of power. Characteristic of non-classical theories is the understanding of power not only as an external institutional formation based on the implementation of the principle of “domination-subordination”, but as a more complex and ambiguous system of organization of relations, constituting and organizing in a special way various modes of being. At the same time, power is understood as an internal force that allows the nature of human existence to be actualized. The authors come to the conclusion that it is important to search for and reconsider the metaphysical substantive foundations of power in its modern modifications and interpretations amidst the formation of a new social ontology.