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Reason and Intuitive Knowledge in Spinoza's Ethics

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Reason and Intuitive Knowledge in Spinoza's Ethics Reason and Intuitive Knowledge in Spinoza’s Ethics : Two Ways of Knowing, Two Ways of Living by Sanem Soyarslan Department of Philosophy Duke University Date: _____________________ Approved: ___________________________ Tad Schmaltz, Co-Supervisor __________________________ David Wong, Co-Supervisor __________________________ Michael Ferejohn __________________________ Andrew Janiak __________________________ Alan Nelson Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Duke University 2011 ABSTRACT Reason and Intuitive Knowledge in Spinoza’s Ethics : Two Ways of Knowing, Two Ways of Living by Sanem Soyarslan Department of Philosophy Duke University Date: _____________________ Approved: ___________________________ Tad Schmaltz, Co-Supervisor __________________________ David Wong, Co-Supervisor __________________________ Michael Ferejohn __________________________ Andrew Janiak __________________________ Alan Nelson An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Duke University 2011 ii Copyright by Sanem Soyarslan 2011 iii ABSTRACT While both intuitive knowledge ( scientia intuitiva ) and reason ( ratio) are adequate ways of knowing for Spinoza, they are not equal. “The greatest virtue of the mind” and “the greatest human perfection” consist in understanding things by intuitive knowledge, which Spinoza regards as superior to reason. Understanding why on Spinoza’s account intuition is superior to reason is crucial for understanding his epistemological and ethical theories. Yet, the nature of this superiority has been the subject of some controversy due to Spinoza’s parsimonious treatment of the distinction between reason and intuitive knowledge in the Ethics . In my dissertation, I explore this fundamental but relatively unexplored issue in Spinoza scholarship by investigating the nature of this distinction and its ethical implications. I suggest that these two kinds of adequate knowledge differ not only in terms of their method, but also with respect to their representative content. More specifically, I hold that unlike reason, which is a universal knowledge, intuitive knowledge descends to a level of particularity, including an adequate knowledge of one’s own essence as it follows directly from God, which represents a superior form of self- knowledge. Attaining this superior self-knowledge makes intuitive knowledge the culmination of not only understanding but also happiness. Since, for Spinoza, there is an intrinsic relationship between the pursuit of knowledge and how we live our lives, I argue that these two ways of knowing are at the same time two ways of living. iv Key Words: Spinoza, intuitive knowledge (scientia intuitiva ), reason, blessedness (beatitudo ), intellectual love of God, affect, self-knowledge, common notions v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements…………………………….………………………………………viii Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1. Setting the Stage: The Metaphysical Background to the Epistemological Distinction between Reason and Intuitive Knowledge .................................................. 9 1.1. Spinoza’s Metaphysics of God: Substance and Modes ......................................... 11 1.1.1. God and Things: “Whatever is, is in God.” .................................................... 14 1.1.2. “God or Nature” .............................................................................................. 18 1.1.3. Singular Things ............................................................................................... 24 1.1.4. Infinite Modes ................................................................................................. 26 1.1.5. Back to Singular Things.................................................................................. 32 1.2. Spinoza’s Metaphysics of the Human Being ......................................................... 33 1.2.1. Unity of the Human Being .............................................................................. 34 1.2.2. Human Being as a Part of Nature ................................................................... 38 1.3. Spinoza’s Theory of Human Knowledge ............................................................... 42 1.3.1. Adequate versus Inadequate Ideas .................................................................. 44 1.3.2. Infinite Intellect or God’s Idea ( Idea Dei ) ...................................................... 46 1.3.3. Common Order of Nature vs. Order of the Intellect ....................................... 49 1.3.4. Three Kinds of Cognition ............................................................................... 57 2. Reason and Intuitive Knowledge: Foundations and Methodologies ...................... 61 2.1. Reason .................................................................................................................... 63 2.1.1. The Foundation of Reason: Common Notions ............................................... 63 2.1.2. The Methodology of Reason: How Do We Attain Knowledge of the Second Kind? ......................................................................................................................... 80 2.2. Intuitive Knowledge............................................................................................... 90 2.2.1. The Foundation of Intuitive Knowledge: Idea of God or Infinite Intellect .... 92 2.2.2. The Methodology of Intuitive Knowledge: How do we attain Intuitive Knowledge? ............................................................................................................ 100 2.3. Concluding Remarks on Foundations and Methodologies .................................. 109 3. The Epistemological Distinction between Reason and Intuitive Knowledge in Spinoza’s Ethics ............................................................................................................. 113 3.1. Content versus Method Interpretations ................................................................ 115 3. 2. Essences of Singular Things ............................................................................... 121 vi 3.3. Shared Essences and Reason ............................................................................... 128 3.4. Actual Essences via Intuitive Knowledge............................................................ 134 3.5. The Distinctive Content of Intuitive Knowledge ................................................. 145 3.6. Intuitive Self-Knowledge as a Special Instance of Intuitive Knowledge ............ 153 4. Setting the Stage: Good Life, Action and Passion for Spinoza ............................. 161 4.1. Introduction to Spinoza’s Account of the Affects ............................................... 164 4.2. Descartes on the Affects, Action, Will ................................................................ 167 4.3. Back to Spinoza ................................................................................................... 172 4.3.1.The Issue of the Free Will .............................................................................. 172 4.3.2. Separation of Intellect and Will .................................................................... 174 4.3.3. Spinoza’s Distinction between Acting and Being Acted On ........................ 178 4.3.4. Spinoza’s Definition of Affect ...................................................................... 181 4.3.5. Passive Affects (Passions) and Active Affects (Actions) ............................. 183 4.3.6. Ideas as Affects and Affects as Ideas ............................................................ 186 5. The Ethical Significance of Reason ......................................................................... 194 5.1. Reason, Collaborative Morality and the ‘Free Man’ ........................................... 196 5.1.1. Psychological Egoism ................................................................................... 197 5.1.2. Reason, Human Nature, and Interpersonal Morality .................................... 204 5.1.3. Reason, the Free Man and Objectivity of Evaluative Terms ........................ 215 5. 2. The Power of Reason in the Face of the Passions .............................................. 229 5.2.1. Spinoza’s Remedies for the Passions ............................................................ 232 5.2.2. The Limits of the Power of Reason over the Affects.................................... 254 6. The Ethical Significance of Intuitive Knowledge ................................................... 268 6.1. Self-Understanding through a Transformative Ascent ........................................ 271 6.1.1. The Final Step of the Ascent through Intuitive Self-Knowledge ................. 274 6.1.2. The Final Step of the Ascent and the Experience of Eternity ....................... 279 6.2. Affective Power of Intuitive Knowledge ............................................................. 294 6.2.1. The Greatest Satisfaction of Mind ( summa acquiescentia ) .......................... 294 6.2.2. Intellectual Love of God ( amor Dei intellectualis) ......................................
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