Exploring Spinoza's Metaphysics of Blessedness

1. Spinoza – Ethics Two Charles Manekin Modern Philosophy PHIL320

2. Topics of Discussion • Metaphysics in the Service of Blessedness • The Types of Modes • Infinite and Finite Modes of Substance • The Explanatory Distinctness and Parallelism of Attributes. • The Relation of Mind and Body • Theory of Knowledge Modern Philosophy PHIL320

3. Metaphysics In the Service of Blessedness • Spinoza's goal in part two: to consider those things which follow from infinite and eternal being; Not all of them -- only those that will lead us to knowledge of mind and its blessedness. • To understand human happiness (blessedness), one must understand human nature. • And to understand human nature, one must understand the principles of nature. • Man is not an exception to nature, not a kingdom within nature, but a part of nature. Modern Philosophy PHIL320

4. Reality as a Self-Generating, Rational System • Euclid’s Geometry: definitions and axioms generate propositions that follow necessarily and eternally. • Eternal properties of eternal objects (essences), e.g., the essence of a triangle. • The notion of generation; this is not a static system, but the generation is not temporal (although it does not exclude temporality.) • An actually existing triangle has both essence and existence; the essence is eternal, the existence is not, but the triangle’s coming to be is necessitated Modern Philosophy PHIL320

5. From God everything follows of necessity • Causes necessitate their effects, and whatever is, is of necessity and eternally. • Infinite immediate modes – what derives from God immediately • Infinite mediate modes – what derives from God through the mediation of the infinite immediate modes. • Finite modes -- what derives from God in a finite way –either finite essence (triangle) or finite existence (this actually existing triangle) Modern Philosophy PHIL320

6. Modes of Extended Substance • Immediate Infinite Mode of Extended Substance: Motion and Rest. • One interpretation: the universal laws of nature governing the proportion of motion and rest in every finite mode. • Mediate Infinite Mode of Extended Substance: the Making/Face of All Being • The totality of the extended (but not just visual) universe • Finite modes of extended substance: body • Each body finds expression not only in its dimensions but in the particular relationship between motion and rest; a body is particularized in the particular balance of motion and rest. Modern Philosophy PHIL320

7. Modes of Thinking Substance • Infinite immediate modes of thought; the absolutely infinite intellect of God – the activity of thinking. • Infinite mediate modes – the Infinite Idea of God • One way of looking at the difference between the two: the laws of rational thought vs. the product, the outcome, the system, generated by those laws. • Finite modes – ideas (conceived as propositions). Modern Philosophy PHIL320

8. Correlations and Identity of Finite Modes – Spinoza’s Parallelism • IIP7: The order and connection of ideas is the same as the order and connection of things.” • Every physical phenomenon has a mental correlate. • An idea is one and the same thing as a body – but differently conceived • All individual ideas, or thoughts, are links in a chain of cause and effect -- and these parallel the cause and effect of their corresponding bodies. • A human mind is what Spinoza would call the Idea of the Body which constitutes this individual. Each mind is a individual union of ideas, finite modes of God, conceived under the attribute of Thought. • p11c: the human mind is part of the infinite intellect of God. Modern Philosophy PHIL320

9. Imagination vs. Intellect • Whatever occurs (affects) the body will have a correlate in the mind. • Whatever external affects our body involves the nature of external and our bodies. • Imaginations -- affections of the human body whose ideas present external bodies as present to us. • Almost completely dependent upon the accidental and random influences upon the body. • All of the ideas we have of our body, which we have attained through sensations, etc. are through this • Association of ideas...association of related bodily affectations. Modern Philosophy PHIL320

10. Truth and Adequacy • Truth and adequacy. • By adequate idea I understand an idea which, insofar as it is considered in itself, without relation to an object, has the all the properties, or intrinsic denominations of a true idea. • A true idea must agree with its object. • Every adequate idea in us is true. • Falsity consists in the privation of knowledge which inadequate, or mutilated and confused, ideas involve. • Men err when they say that they act freely; they are conscious of the actions but ignorant of the causes. • The sun appears to us to be 200 feet away; because we perceive it as such. • There are some things which are common to all bodies -- these are the common notions. these are perceived adequately Modern Philosophy PHIL320

11. Kinds of Knowledge • Knowledge of the First Kind: Sense knowledge, knowledge from signs, authority. • Knowledge of the Second Kind: common notions and adequate ideas of the properties of things – demonstrative knowledge. • Knowledge of the Third Kind – intuitive knowledge which proceeds from an adequate knowledge of essence of things. Modern Philosophy PHIL320