Produced by an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer.
Benedict de Spinoza, THE ETHICS
(Ethica Ordine Geometrico Demonstrata)
Translated from the Latin by R. H. M. Elwes
Most writers on the emotions and on human conduct seemto be treating rather of matters outside nature than of naturalphenomena following nature's general laws. They appear toconceive man to be situated in nature as a kingdom within akingdom: for they believe that he disturbs rather than followsnature's order, that he has absolute control over his actions,and that he is determined solely by himself. They attributehuman infirmities and fickleness, not to the power of naturein general, but to some mysterious flaw in the nature of man,which accordingly they bemoan, deride, despise, or, asusually happens, abuse: he, who succeeds in hitting offthe weakness of the human mind more eloquently or moreacutely than his fellows, is looked upon as a seer. Still therehas been no lack of very excellent men (to whose toil andindustry I confess myself much indebted), who have writtenmany noteworthy things concerning the right way of life,and have given much sage advice to mankind. But no one,so far as I know, has defined the nature and strength of theemotions, and the power of the mind against them for theirrestraint.
I do not forget, that the illustrious Descartes, though hebelieved, that the mind has absolute power over its actions,strove to explain human emotions by their primary causes,and, at the same time, to point out a way, by which the mindmight attain to absolute dominion over them. However,in my opinion, he accomplishes nothing beyond a displayof the acuteness of his own great intellect, as I will showin the proper place. For the present I wish to revert tothose, who would rather abuse or deride human emotionsthan understand them. Such persons will, doubtless thinkit strange that I should attempt to treat of human vice andfolly geometrically, and should wish to set forth with rigidreasoning those matters which they cry out against asrepugnant to reason, frivolous, absurd, and dreadful.However, such is my plan. Nothing comes to pass in nature,which can be set down to a flaw therein; for nature is alwaysthe same, and everywhere one and the same in her efficacyand power of action; that is, nature's laws and ordinances,whereby all things come to pass and change from one formto another, are everywhere and always the same; so thatthere should be one and the same method of understandingthe nature of all things whatsoever, namely, through nature'suniversal laws and rules. Thus the passions of hatred, anger,envy, and so on, considered in themselves, follow from thissame necessity and efficacy of nature; they answer to certaindefinite causes, through which they are understood, andpossess certain properties as worthy of being known asthe properties of anything else, whereof the contemplationin itself affords us delight. I shall, therefore, treat of thenature and strength of the emotions according to the samemethod, as I employed heretofore in my investigationsconcerning God and the mind. I shall consider humanactions and desires in exactly the same manner, as thoughI were concerned with lines, planes, and solids.
I. By an 'adequate' cause, I mean a cause through whichits effect can be clearly and distinctly perceived. By an'inadequate' or partial cause, I mean a cause through which,by itself, its effect cannot be understood.
II. I say that we 'act' when anything takes place, eitherwithin us or extern