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Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School
4-6-2017 Active Suffering: An Examination of Spinoza's Approach to Tristita Kathleen Ketring Schenk University of South Florida, [email protected]
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Scholar Commons Citation Schenk, Kathleen Ketring, "Active Suffering: An Examination of Spinoza's Approach to Tristita" (2017). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6756
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ActiveActive Suffering:Suffering: An Examination ofAn Spinoza's Examination Approach to Tristita of Spinoza's Approachby to Tristita
By: KathleenKathleen Ketring K. Schenk Schenk
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida
Major Professor: Martin Schönfeld, Ph.D. Alex Levine, Ph.D. Wei Zhang, Ph.D. Mor Segev, Ph.D. Edward Kissi, Ph.D.
Date of Approval: March 31, 2017
Keywords: Spinoza, intuitive knowledge, pain, freedom, suffering
Copyright © 2017, Kathleen K. Schenk Dedication
Although everyone experiences pain of some sort, it is not the case that everyone experiences
pain in its severer forms. This dissertation is dedicated to those who do. Acknowledgements
My interest in Spinoza took root when I was researching the nature of pain. I was planning to write my dissertation on this subject, but it seemed as though this philosopher had, more than three-hundred years ago, anticipated me. I was fascinated. It was not only his approach to pain that struck me but also the fresh and positive tenor of his philosophy as a whole. So the first person I wish to thank for helping me write this dissertation is Benedict de Spinoza.
Now for the people who are presently alive and are responsible for helping me on a more personal level. First is my adviser, Martin Schönfeld, who was always ready to read the chapters
I sent and suggest changes to them, no matter where he was or when I sent them. I have learned many things from him. One thing directly relevant to this dissertation is that the study of philosophy is not something separate from contemporary problems but is something that both can and should be used to solve them. Since I've known him, he has never failed to inspire me to be a dynamic teacher, a kind person, and a great philosopher.
Another amazing person is the Philosophy Department's Graduate Program Specialist,
Darlene Corcoran. She has cheerfully helped me jump through every administrative hoop imaginable. Without her help, I could not have completed even my first semester of graduate school. I definitely could not have come this far without her. I would also like to thank my committee members, Alex Levine, Joanne Waugh, Charles
Guignon , and Wei Zhang, for taking part in this project and for always being ready to offer helpful opinions and comments.
My caregivers play a huge role in any endeavour I undertake, and this one is no exception. In addition to taking good care of me, they typed for me when I got tired, helped me text and send emails, filled out forms, and carried out innumerable other tasks. But these are not the only things they did. Just as important were their friendship and unfailing encouragement.
I have gone through a lot since I began graduate school, and my family was there every step of the way. My parents, Terry and Suzy Schenk, and my siblings, Cooper Mikler and Stevie
Schenk, never ceased to offer both their love and support. My grandparents, Joe and Mary
Fernandez, were both instrumental in helping me through my early years of graduate school, and my grandma continued to offer both her love and encouragement (and her home!). The companionship and unbounded joy of my little dog, Atticus, were also invaluable. Thank you all.
I could not have come this far without any one of you. Table of Contents
Abstract iii
Chapter One: An Introduction 1
Chapter Two: Being and Knowing: The Metaphysical and Epistemological Background of Spinoza’s Doctrine of Active Suffering 7 Spinoza’s Theory of God 9 Substance 9 Attributes 12 Modes 13 Modal Dependence 15 Spinoza’s Theory of Human Knowledge 17 Representationalism 17 Parallelism and the Mind as the Idea of the Body 20 Adequate and Inadequate Ideas 24 The Problem of Adequate Ideas 26
Chapter Three: Striving and Feeling: The Psychological Foundations of Active Suffering 29 Theory of Conatus 30 Universal Kinship 31 Conatus and the Power of Acting 32 Conatus and Consciousness 34 Conatus and Teleology 36 Theory of the Affects 39 Affects as Both Feelings and Emotions 39 Affects and the Power of Acting: Active and Passive 42 Affective Reason 45
Chapter Four: Pain and Sadness: A Theoretical Analysis of the Nature and Functioning of Tristita 49 Contemporary Theory 50 Pain as Representational 50 Nociception Process 52 Identity of Physical Pain and Psychological Sadness 54 Spinoza’s Theory of Pain 58 The Early-Modern Perception of Pain 58 Spinoza’s Influences and Taxonomy 61 Spinoza’s Ethical Evaluation of Pain 65 i Chapter Five: Necessity and Freedom: An Examination of the Relationship in Spinoza’s Philosophy Between Necessitarianism and Human Freedom 71 Necessitarianism 73 Determinism and Necessitarianism 73 Spinoza’s Necessitarianism 76 Necessity vs. Compulsion 79 Human Freedom 80 The History of Compatibilism and Incompatibilism 81 The Compatibility Problem and Moral Responsibility 84 Spinoza on Free Will vs. Freedom 86
Chapter Six: Active Suffering: An Examination of Spinoza’s Approach to Dealing with One’s Experience of Pain 92 Three Ways of Knowing Things 93 Knowing Things Rationally 95 Rational Knowledge and Pain 97 Knowing Things Intuitively 102 Intuitive Knowledge and Pain 106 The Relationship Between Knowledge, Activity, and Freedom 110
Chapter Seven: A Conclusion 114
References 118