 As we have seen (in  §2.2.1),  al-Kindī, in one text, draws a distinction between a “true” agent, one that acts without being acted upon, and a “metaphorical” agent, one that is both an agent and a patient. Avicenna likewise distinguishes the agent that acts without being acted upon from the agent that is both an agent and a patient. While he does not deem the latter a “metaphorical” agent, he does elaborate a hierarchical conception of agency.