Yes. Instead of "lesser forms of power“ one could also use the wording “hierarchically more determined by those that are less determined”, or the wording “carried or borne by more strata or levels”.
According to Nicolai Hartmann there are four main strata or levels of being or reality:
[b]| _____ (4) Geistiges _____ |
| _______ (3) Seelisches _______|
| _________ (2) Organisches _________|
| ____________ (1) Anorganisches ____________ |[/b]
Schichtenlehre lt. N. Hartmann.
This four levels of reality are characterized by the fact that the respective higher (and lighter) level/s are carried or borne by the respective lower (and heavier) level/s and “free” towards the respective lower (and heavier) level/s - insofar as their “freedom” is not restricted by the fact that they are carreid or borne -, especially because they show new properties or characteristics against the respective lower level/s.
The (1) first, lowest, haeviest one is the inorganic level; the (2) second, second-lowest (and third highest), second-haeviest (and third-lightest) one is the organic level; the (3) third, third-lowest (and second-highest), third-heaviest (and second-lightest) one is the level of “Seelisches”, which means properties or characteristics of soul, psyche, emotion; the (4) fourth, highest, lightest one is the level of “Geistiges”, which means properties or characteristics of spirit, thinking, intellectuality, imagery.
So, for example, the inorganic level (1) is carried or borne by no other level, whereas the level of “Geistiges” (4) is carried or borne by all other levels.
Inorganic beings (1) do not need an organic body (2), do not need “Seelisches” (3), do not need “Geistiges” (4), whereas even the highest spirit of all times (4) needs “Seelisches” (3), needs an organic body (2), needs inorganic beings (1).
The fourth level is not capable of existing without the other three levels, because it is carried or borne by them. The third level is not capable of existing without the second and the first level, because it is carried or borne by them. The second level is not capable of existing without the first level, because it is carried or borne by it. Only the first level is capable of existing without the other three levels, because it is not carried or borne by them. The first level is unfree because of its type of determination: causality. The second level is relatively free in the sense that it is categorially free towards the first level. The third level is relatively free in the sense that it is categorially free towards the second and the first level. The fourth level is relatively free in the sense that it is most categorially free (but not 100% free), which means categorially free towards the three other levels.
100%-freedom is not possible: the fact that the lower and heavier levels carry the higher and lighter levels means that the higher and lighter levels depend on the lower and heavier levels, although the higher and lighter levels are relatively free towards the lower and heavier levels; and the lowest and heaviest level (1) is not free because of its type of determination: causality. Note: “relatively free” means here “categorially free”; each level has its own categories.
Hartmann postulated four laws that apply to the levels of reality:
- The law of recurrence: Lower categories recur in the higher levels as a subaspect of higher categories, but never vice versa.
- The law of modification: The categorial elements modify in their recurrence in the higher levels (they are shaped by the characteristics of the higher levels).
- The law of the novum: The higher category is composed of a diversity of lower elements, but it is a specific novum that is not included in the lower levels.
- The law of distance between levels: Since the different levels do not develop continuously but in leaps, they can be clearly distinguished.
The first and the second level are spatial, the third and the fourth level are not spatial.
The first level (which is pretty similar to what you called “physical power”) is in fact the most powerful one, has in fact the strongest power in the sense that the other three levels are carried or borne by the first level and that the categories of the first level recur in the higher levels (and never vice versa) as a subaspect of higher categories.
An example:
You hit a man and this hit causes something physically (=> (1) matter, causality). Maybe you hit that man bcause he has threatened you; so you just want to save your own life (=> (2) life, urge). Maybe you groundlessly hate that man and therefore you hit him (=> (3) Seele, motif). Maybe your hate is not reasonless, and you hit that man because of a reason (=> (4) Geist, reason).
| LEVEL | CATEGORY | TYPE OF DETERMINATION |
| _ (4) _| __ Geist __| _______ Reason _______ |
| _ (3) _| __ Seele __| ________ Motif ________|
| _ (2) _| ___ Life __ | ________ Urge ________|
| _ (1) _| _ Matter _ | _______ Causality ______|
[tab]If one looks at the connection of levels and categories, many world views contain for Hartmann the basic mistake of the fundamental one-sidedness.
- The materialism tries to derive organic (2), emotional (3) and spiritual (4) phenomena from physical processes (1) and overlooks the more complicated structures at the respective higher level.
- Alike the biologism tries to found emotional (3) and spiritual (4) phenomena on the life (2) principles and overlooks the laws of the novelty and the freedom.
- The vitalism tries an explanation of life (2) with the principle of the finality, although this is a category of the Geistiges (4).
- In the idealism occurs an explanation of the world (1 and 2) in the principle of the subject, although the subject is to be assigned to the level of the Geistiges (4).
Nicolai Hartmann:
[/tab]