University of Groningen Spinoza’s Theory of the Human Mind: Consciousness, Memory, and Reason Marrama, Oberto IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2019 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Marrama, O. (2019). Spinoza’s Theory of the Human Mind: Consciousness, Memory, and Reason. University of Groningen. Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 27-09-2021 SPINOZA’S THEORY OF THE HUMAN MIND: CONSCIOUSNESS, MEMORY, AND REASON 1A_BW_Marrama .job © Oberto Marrama, 2019. All rights reserved. ISBN 978-94-034-1568-0 (printed version) ISBN 978-94-034-1569-7 (electronic version) 1B_BW_Marrama .job Spinoza’s Theory of the Human Mind: Consciousness, Memory, and Reason PhD thesis to obtain the degree of PhD at the University of Groningen on the authority of the Rector Magnificus Prof. E. Sterken and in accordance with the decision by the College of Deans; and submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements to obtain the degree of PhD in Philosophy at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Double PhD degree This thesis will be defended in public on Thursday 16 May 2019 at 11.00 hours by Oberto Marrama born on 27 April 1984 in Arzignano (VI), Italy 2A_BW_Marrama .job Supervisors: Prof. M. Lenz Prof. S. Malinowski-Charles Assessment Committee: Prof. M. Della Rocca Prof. S. James Prof. C. Jaquet Prof. D. H. K. Pätzold 2B_BW_Marrama .job Table of Contents Table of Abbreviations 7 Editorial Note 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 13 Methodological Note 15 Outline of the Chapters 16 Chapter 1: Consciousness, Ideas of Ideas, and Animation in Spinoza’s Ethics 19 1. Introduction 19 2. Two issues concerning Spinoza’s panpsychism 21 3. The current debate 27 4. The terminological gap: conscientia as “consciousness” 31 5. The illusion of free will and the theory of the “ideas of ideas” 35 6. Animation, eternity, and the “third kind of knowledge” 43 7. Two issues concerning Spinoza’s panpsychism solved 54 8. Conclusion 58 Chapter 2: “A Thing Like Us”: Human Minds and Deceitful Behaviour in Spinoza 61 1. Introduction 61 2. Spinoza’s panpsychism 65 3. Mindless automata and spiritual automata in the TIE 72 4. Automata, beasts, and other incomprehensible minds 79 5. Humans beings as “things like us”: the “imitation of the affects” 88 6. “Humanity” as a shared affect 94 5 3A_BW_Marrama .job Spinoza’s Theory of the Human Mind: Consciousness, Memory, and Reason 7. Conclusion 100 Chapter 3: Networks of Ideas: Spinoza’s Conception of Memory 107 1. Introduction 107 2. Episodic and semantic memory 110 3. Semantic memory in the TIE 115 4. Episodic memory in the TIE 121 5. Memory in the Ethics 127 6. Memory, associations of affects, and human desire 136 7. A remedy for the affects: rearranging one’s own memories 141 8. Conclusion 148 Chapter 4: “The Habit of Virtue”: Spinoza on Reason and Memory 151 1. Introduction 151 2. Human virtue: actions vs passions of the mind 154 3. Spinoza’s account of associative memory: images, affects, and decisions 157 4. Reason and its power over the affects 161 5. Common notions, the “foundations of our reasoning” 165 6. The “habit of virtue” as discursive reasoning 171 7. Conclusion 177 Conclusion 179 Bibliography 183 Primary sources 183 Secondary sources 186 Samenvatting 213 6 3B_BW_Marrama .job Table of Abbreviations Spinoza’s texts: CM Metaphysical Thoughts. E Ethics, followed by the Part number (in Arabic numerals) and the abbreviations hereunder: a Axiom Ad Definition of an affect App Appendix c Corollary d Definition / Demonstration, when it appears after a proposition number exp Explanation lem Lemma p Proposition post Postulate Pref Preface s Scholium Ep Letters, followed by the Letter number (in Arabic numerals). The numeration is the traditional one, also followed by Edwin Curley (Spinoza 1985-2016). KV Short Treatise on God, Man, and His Well-Being, followed by the Part number (in Roman numerals), the Chapter number (in Arabic numerals), and the Section number (in Arabic numerals). The division into sections is that proposed by Christoph Sigwart (Spinoza 1870), also followed by Curley. 7 4A_BW_Marrama .job Spinoza’s Theory of the Human Mind: Consciousness, Memory, and Reason PPC Descartes’s “Principles of Philosophy”, followed by the Part number (in Arabic numerals). Further abbreviations are identical to those used for the Ethics. TIE Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect, followed by the Section number (in Arabic numerals). The division into sections is that proposed by Carl H. Bruder (Spinoza 1843- 1846, vol. 2), also followed by Curley. TP Political Treatise, followed by the Chapter number (in Roman numerals) and the Section number (in Arabic numerals). TTP Theological-Political Treatise, followed by the Chapter number (in Roman numerals) and the Section number (in Arabic numerals). The division into sections is that proposed by Bruder (Spinoza 1843-1846, vol. 3), also followed by Curley. ADN Adnotations to the TTP, followed by the note number (in Roman numerals). Spinoza’s editions and translations: C The Collected Works of Spinoza, edited and translated by Edwin Curley, 2 vols. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985-2016). G Spinoza Opera, edited by Carl Gebhardt, 4 vols. (Heidelberg: C. Winter, 1925). NS De Nagelate Schriften van B. d. S. (Amsterdam, 1677). OP B. d. S. Opera Posthuma (Amsterdam, 1677). 8 4B_BW_Marrama .job Abbreviations and Editorial Note Other Authors’ texts, editions and translations: AG Roger Ariew and Daniel Garber, eds. G. W. Leibniz. Philosophical Essays (Indianapolis / Cambridge: Hackett, 1989). AT Charles Adam and Paul Tannery, eds. Œuvres de Descartes, 12 vols. (Paris: L. Cerf, 1897-1913). CSM John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch, trans. The Philosophical Writings of Descartes, 2 vols. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984). CSMK John Cottingham, Robert Stoothoff, Dugald Murdoch, and Anthony Kenny, trans. The Philosophical Writings of Descartes, vol. 3, The Correspondence (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991). Ge Carl I. Gerhardt, ed. Die philosophischen Schriften von Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, 7 vols. (Berlin: Weidmann, 1875– 1890). L Leroy E. Loemker, ed. and trans. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Philosophical Papers and Letters, 2nd ed., (Dordrecht / Boston / London: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1989). W John Locke. The Works of John Locke. A New Edition, Corrected. 10 vols. (London: T. Tegg and others, 1823). Editorial Note All English quotations of Spinoza are from Curley (1985-2016). I have retained his use of the italics to indicate when “or” translates the Latin sive or seu. Generally, sive and seu mark an equivalence, rather than an alternative. I 9 5A_BW_Marrama .job Spinoza’s Theory of the Human Mind: Consciousness, Memory, and Reason have omitted the use of capital letters for terms as “mind”, “body”, “thought”, “extension” and “individual” (which, in Curley’s edition, is meant to reproduce the capitalisation found in the OP, yet only inconsistently present in the NS), in all cases in which it did not appear necessary for the general comprehension of the text quoted. I have substituted personal pronouns and possessive determiners referring to God with the neuter “It” and “Its” (capitalised). All other departures from Curley’s translation are specifically signalled. Corresponding terms or passages from the original Latin are inserted in the quotations between square brackets. All references to the Latin version of Spinoza’s works are to Gebhardt (1925). 10 5B_BW_Marrama .job Acknowledgments The research and the writing of this text were made possible thanks to the generous support of the following institutions and organisations: the Laboratoire sur l'histoire et la pensée modernes (16e – 18e siècles) at the UQTR, the Décanat des études of the UQTR, the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture (FRQSC), and the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Groningen. I am deeply grateful to my supervisors, Syliane Malinowski-Charles and Martin Lenz for their advice, patient guidance, and constant encouragement. The pursuing of my doctorate has also greatly benefited from discussions and interactions with Raphaële Andrault, Sébastien Charles, Filippo Del Lucchese, Keith Green, Mogens Lærke, Beth Lord, Karolina Hübner, Jon Miller, Luca Moretti, Vittorio Morfino, Lodi Nauta, Dominik Perler, Jimmy Plourde, Andrea Sangiacomo, Hasana Sharp, Justin Steinberg, and Bart Streumer, to whom I am thankful. Since I started my doctorate I witnessed, and contributed to, the creation of two intellectual societies devoted to Spinozistic studies. These initiatives have provided further stimulus to my passion for philosophical studies and great opportunities