Spinoza (117-119)
- Born Amsterdam 1632
- Parents emigrated from Portugal in 1622
- Sephardic Jews
- attended rabbinical school
- learned Hebrew, Latin
- Moses Maimonides
- Descartes
- excommunicated from Jewish community 1656
- expelled from Amsterdam (1660)
- menace to all piety and morals
- moved to village south of Amsterdam
- moved to Hague 1663
- resided here till death in 1677
- published many works
- Metaphysical thoughs
- Descartes Principles of Philosophy (I & II)
- Demonstrated in the Geometrical Manner (1663)
- Theological-Political Treatise (1670) under ficticous publisher Hamburg
- Deep admiration for Descartes
- specifically geometrial methodology
- believed he failed to achieve and understanding of human mind
- Doctrine of Infinite
- departure from Descartes
- our intellect is capable of reaching absolute knowledge
- pure understanding has the same nature in humans and God
- Infinite Substance
- middleground between Descartes dualism and Hobbes materialism
- Attributes: mental and corporeal realms
- Ethics: begins with metaphysicss of god and substance
- continues with the nature of the mind and its affects - human bondage and human freedom (power of intellect)
Spinoza (172-185)
- besides substances and modes nothing exists
- god doesn't love anything, rather just exists
- there is a way to live according to him
- god encompasses our idea of the self
- god is infinite modes
- the entirety of all intellect
- everything exists at around the principle of motion and rest
- for a given determinate cause an effect must following
- if no cause no effect will follow (similar to Newton)
- knowledge of an effect depend on knowledge of cause
- things which have nothing in common with one another cannot be understood through one another
- if a thing can be conceived as not existing its essence does not involve existence
- Propositions
- Substance is by nature prior to its modification
- Two substance having different attributes have nothing in common
- When things have nothing in common, one cannot be the cause of the other
- a body cannot create a mind, we can create a body that houses the mind. A mind cannot also create a body.
- Two or more distinct things are distinguished from one another either by the difference of the attributes of the substances or by the difference of the affections of the substance
- nothing exists external to the intellect through which several things can be distinguished from one another
- In the universe there cannot be two or more substance of the same nature or attribute
- if distinguished by a difference of attributes, then cannot be more than one substance of the same attribute
- if distinguished by a difference of affections then since substance by nature prior to affections
- each mode is only a specific moment of one substance
- One substance cannot be produced by another substance
- one cannot be produced by another
- exists nothing but substances and their affections
- if a substance could be the knowledge would depend on the knowledge of the cause, thus not being a substance
- Existence belongs to the nature of substance
- cannot be produced by anything else
- essence involves existence, existence belongs to nature
- Every substance is necessarily infinite
- cannot be more than one substance having attribute
- therefore exist as finite or infinite
- since finite is a negation, every substance must be infinite
- truth external to the intellect is only in themselves
- the existence of a substance in which there are no doubts of its existence is difficult
- the existence of a substance is as much an external truth as its essence
- the true definition of a thing involves and expresses nothing beyond the nature of the thing
- no definition involves or expresses a fixed number of individuals, since it expresses nothing but the nature of the thing defined.
- the definition of a triangle expresses nothing but the nature of a triangle (not a fixed number of triangles)
- must be a cause for an individual existence
- must be evident by nature and definition
- must havee its being independently of the thing itself
- if substance wasnt infinite then there is something thats outside of it that presses against it
- a fixed number of individuals exist in nature
- why not more or less
- cause for existence of each one (20 men example)
- each must be external to one another
- definition of substance must involve existence
- existence of a subject must be concluded from the definition
- The more reality or being a thing has the more attributes it has
- Spinoza is trying to find a way to understand our ability for action
- Each attribute of one substance must be conceived through itself
- for an attribute is that which intellect precises of substance as constituting its essence
- God, or substance consisting of infinite attributes, each of which express eternal and infinite essence necessarily exists
- the reason a square circle does not exist is indicated by its nature, involves contradiction
- No attribute can be truly conceived from which it follows that substance can be divided
- we are parts of a substance
- part of the same soup
- substance absolutely infinite is indivisible
- Besides god no substance can be concieved
- because god is infinite there is no room for other substances
- whatever is is within god, god is infinite
- nothing is separate from god
- fail to see how all things are beings of one substance
- god infinite nature implies infinite number of things in infinite number of ways to the infinite intellect
- if god is infinite therefore all possibility is infinite as well
- god acts in his own nature only and is compelled by no one
- humans can only make things exist but not provide their essence
- god is the imminent and not the transient cause of all things
- we are thinking of things that exist but our totality is god, cannot deify god
- god is eternal, all his attributes are eternal
- gods existence and essence are the same
- all things attached to any of gods attributes must exist
- anything that follows from this attribute is nessicarily infinite
- any mode that is infinite emerges from infinite attribute
- infinite cannot come from finite
- the essence of things produced by god does not involve existence
- god is not only the efficent cause of the existence of thing but also their essence
- god creates essence and existence
- something acts in a particular way has to be caused by gods will
- a thing which has been determined by god cannot render itself indeterminate
- everything determined by god
- infinite chain of cause and effect
- no one of these finite causes can come from infinite attributes unless comes from god
- in nature nothing is contingent everything is determined by divine nature
- the actual intellect must comprehend the attributes of god and nothing else
- the idea of god must have come from god
- we are modifications of gods intellect
- the natura naturata refers to actual intellect along with things like love is dependent on god, and does not cause itself
- the will cannot be caused a free cause and it is necessary
- things could have been produced by god in no other order
- if someone suggested it be different that would imply it is imperfect
- the power of god is his essence itself
- whatever we percieve to be in gods power must exist
- nothing exists whos nature and exist does not follow
- must produce some effect (even if only taking up space)
- we can only understand something by the way it came to existence
- if something does not have an essence it does not exist
- we can have essence without existence
Definitions (given on 172)
- self caused: whose essence involves existence, whos nature can be conceived only as existing
- a thing: can be said to be finite in its own kind
- a body, because we can always convince of another body greater than it.
- limited by another thought
- a substance: conceived through itself, conception does not require conception of another thing.
- an attribute: thought of the mind or extension of the body
- finity: bounded by limit
- mode: the affections of a substance
- something else conceived through something else
- god: absolutely infinite being (You can see Descartes influence lol)
- external and infinite essence
- absolutely infinite: infinite attributes
- infinite in its kind: one may deny that it has infinite attributes
- free: exists solely from the necessity of its own nature, determined to action by itself
- it determines itself
- all determined by the laws of cause and effect
- eternity: existence itself as conceived following from the definition of an eternal thing
- existence is conceived as an external truth
- cannot be explicated through duration of time
- axioms: all things that are
- a thought cannot be limited by a body
Class Notes (Descartes to Spinoza)
- dont have intellectual perceptions rather physical
- how something looks is independent of our will
- distinction between imagination
- pure intellectual vs perceptions
- "given the limits of my knowledge ... I should stick to what is certain to me, and what is certain to me is mathematics"
- nothing has purposes
- god has no purpose
- we are modes within god
- thus we have no purpose
- we find freedom in realizing we are not free
- god is everything
- god does not have an intellect
- we don't have an intellect, we are an intellect and we are a body
- stoic influence
- intellect is essentially finite
- the thought of an extension that limits another, both expressions of god
- all genuine perception is active
- attribute
- what the intellect perceives of substance as constituting its essence
- god doesn't have a property called extension or intellect
- a thing which has been determined by god to act in a particular way cannot render itself undermined
Tuesday (FEB 11th)
- Spinoza` attacking Descartes
- god is the only substance, being, but in no way like us
- Axioms
- from a given determinate cause there follows an effect
- from non no effect will follow
- if there are multiple substances something must have caused there to be
- if something isn't conceivable through itself it must be concieved through a cause
- if we can conceive of something not existing it's essence does not contain existence
- god has no intellect but he is a thinking thing
- god nessicarily exists
- (natura naturata, 185)
- substance cannot be produced by anything else
- existance belongs to the nature of substance
- thus must be ifinite or infinite
- every substance is infinite
- because theres only one substance, if there were 2, they would have to share an attribute to limit one another
- through sharing something in common
- thought and extension cannot limit one another
- freedom
- to be determined by ones nature
- we become and instance of god determining himself
- every idea we have is determined by other ideas
- when we know ourselves through god
- knowledge through nature
- what is time?
- a succession in thought
- doesn't believe in time in the traditional way
- if it exists in thought it must exist in parallel within all modes
- how much of the infinite chain of knowledge do we know?
- the chain of causes is infinite
Ethics (Dr. Darren Staloff)
- challenged the notion of god and free will
- rational skeptical mind
- now with modern science we should question god
- why would go care about us
- rejected things have purposes (teleology)
- hubris to thing, cosmos came about to serve my purposes
- the world is a physical phenomena
- no purpose to be forfilled, simply the substance working itself out to the effect
- if we are in nature
- all human action is part of the natural economy
- logically and scientifically explainable
- Descartes methods were profoundly impactful on spinoza
- as well as his definitions of substance
- propensity for existence
- more than one of them?
- one substance (the universe / world)
- famous contrast to Descartes dualism
- this substance is god or nature (Spinoza)
- his attempt at offering a rational spirituality
- if one substance what about body and mind?
- the same thing but described in 2 ways: attributes
- (chess example, biologically vs chess perspective)
- can add more descriptions to get more attributes
- cannot assume they are not the same thing, we are only aware of 2 of these attribute.
- there are an infinite amount of attributes
- not all of nature can be described in terms of mind
- does go have a mind?
- yes, but there is no god outside of us and nature
- god is human rationality
- which is the same as the human body
- the causal nexus (what bind world together)
- every cause is nessicary
- the universe knows no randomness
- everything that happens and will happen is set
- determinism
- if man is part of nature his choices are determinable
- we don't have free will
- determined by education, training, etc
- our choices are not random, something determined them
- otherwise it was irrational
- if we have all of the neurology and ideas we can predict human action
- within every organic entity is a will for survival
- everything attempts to have as much potency as possible
- principle of association
- we respond to stimulus and response
- what is human happiness
- the well being of the animal
- more power
- so happiness is creating as much power for yourself as possible
- life is outside of our hands if we respond to passive emotions
- human bondage: mans lack of power to control their emotions
- to break we need to understand the cause
- the only thing we can control is our emotional states
- remaining a calm charming person
- universal rational love
- stoic influences??? (Marcus Aurelius specifically)
- the ultimate expression of the power is to love everyone even your enemies
- this is the way of salvation
- apply spirituality to the world, that is the way of liberation
Part 2 Spinoza Ethics
- as humans we can only access 2 of gods attributes
- critiquing Descartes
- you cannot be a mind on its own
Definitions
- body
- a mode that expresses the essence of god, insofar as he is the thing being extended
- a body is one expression of the broader picture of god itself
- determinant
- essence and existence
- we can exist without an essence
- we cannot have essence without existence
- idea
- the minds creation seperate from a perception that is only passive perception through senses
- created seperate from our passive perception
- comes about through our minds on its own
- adequate idea
- an idea without recourse to another idea or external object, considered in itself, possessing properties of a true idea
- triangle (don't perfectly exist in nature, still exist)
- duration
- definite continuation of existence
- reality and perfection
- individual thing
- things that are finite, if many work together to make a single effect they are all one thing
- as humans we have an obligation to work together with one another
- working towards a single goal
Axioms
- humanities essence does not require any one persons existance
- humans think
- a mode of thinking like love or desire depend on the thing that is loved or desired without having another mode of thought
- bodies are affected in many ways
- we only feel and perceive body's and modes of though
Propositions
- thought is an attribute of god / god is a thinking thing
- because we have the capacity to imagine an infinite being our thoughts are a finite expression of gods infinite attribute of thought
- extension is an attribute of god or god is an extended thing
- in god their nessicarily exists the idea of his essence and of all things that nessicarily follow from his essence
- because god can think of infinite things at once is has the full grasp of those things
- god is the same as the idea of his essence
- nature itself as being god
- everything that exists is of god or nature
- everything is in accordance of his essence
- god is not humanoid
- gods idea while infinite only appears as one
- god is one entity
- the infinite intellect percieves many of gods aspects but only as one thing
- the mind identify god as its cause only insofar as god is conceived as a thinking thing, and whos thought originates in itself
- thought is only reliant on thought as an attribute of god
- emerges from god as a thinking thing rather than being conditioned by thought itself
- all modes have god as a cause only sofar as they are ascribed to attributes that are teathered to god
- all attributes are concieved on their own
- thus only have god as their cause
- the order and connection of ideas is the same as the order and connection of things
- gods thinking and acting are one in the same
- the process of thinking and the process of existing in space mirror one another
- since they are both of gods will, thus coming from one point
- if we have an idea of something that does not exist it exists in the infinite idea of god
- the idea of something existing has god for a cause, not because god is infinite, but is the basis for the infinite chain of ideas which are caused by other ideas
- an idea comes from another idea
- god is the cause
- god is the originator of this possibility of thought
- the being of substance does not imply the existence of humans
- our first thought as humans is the idea of an individual thing existing within the world
- we must go though the world in order to experience things to have new ideas
- we are not born with the capacity for thought
- we need a relationship with the world to have thought
- anything that happens in the object that is the idea of the mind, must be cognizable by the mind
- both mind and body are inseperable
- a degree of connection between them
- the object of the idea constituting the human mind is a body
- the body is the object of the idea that constitues the human mind
- they are connected
- body is either in motion or in rest
- some bodys move quicker or slower
- bodies distinguish by motion or rest not their substance
- all bodies agree to some respect because they are all of same attribute of extension
- harmony among bodies, expression's of gods infinite expression
- use this to better synchronize us with nature
- in our interest to better understand the world
- motion of rest of objects are dependent on other objects
- needed to be acted upon
- getting this from physics
- composite bodies can be formed when many objects are together
- if we accept this idea ^
- if a certain number is removed the original, and new ones are added object will retain its nature
- Thesias ship
- if parts of a thing become greater or lesser proportionally it will retain its nature
- the human body can move and effect other bodies
- the human mind grows with the perception that must be expirenced by the body
- the mind is comprised of different parts
- adapt and change capacity for though
Source Video
Review Sheet Notes
- limits of possibilities and impossibilities within conception are limits of things themselves
- does not hold true for imagination
- axiom 2
- conditions of conception are conditions of things
- What cannot be conceived through other things must be concievable through itself
- "What cannot be concieved through itself must be concieved through another thing"
- axiom 3
- a cause must have an effect, and an effect must be determined through an effect
- determinism
- presupposes things are conceivable
- everything has a determininant effect
- no effect can follow from no cause
- axiom 5
- things that have nothing in common with one another cannot be understood through eachother
- the conception of one does not involve conception of another
- common features: ideas contained within several things
- private features: ideas specific to one thing
- these can place limits on conception, and on things themselves
- axiom 6
- a true idea must agree with that of which it is the idea
- spinoza is nota correspondence theory of truth philosopher
- truth in agreement between ideas and things
- absolutely necessarymeaning all ideas are true nessicarily
- _affections - meaning
- Propositions 1-15: substance, one substance,god has infinite attributes
- attributes concieved through themselves
- substance unity, gods unity of indivisibility is singular
- all is gods
- Gods Causality
- from god follows infinite things in infinite ways
- god acts by the necessity of his nature and as constrained by noneeternal, necessary and infinite modes
- god acts by necessity of his nature and as constrained by none
- Proposition 17_
- intellect and the will do not belong to the nature of god
- Proposition 18
- god causes things from within, not without
- Proposition 21-23