Maps of Becoming: Emotions and Reason in Spinoza’s Ethics
Maps of Becoming: Emotions and Reason in Spinoza’s Ethics

Summary/Abstract: In this paper, I argue that Spinoza’s theory of emotions as developed in his Ethics provides a theory of becoming. In particular, I argue that adequate knowledge of the emotions attained through reason provides human beings with a twofold insight; on the one hand, adequate knowledge of affectus provides metaphysical insight while, on the other hand, it provides ethical insight. The metaphysical insight stems from an adequate understanding of the directionality of individual desires which knowledge of the emotions provides in terms of self-knowledge. At the same time, the ethical insight consists in the adequate understanding of what counts with certainty as increasing an individual’s power of acting as deriving from the metaphysical understanding of the affection of one’s conatus. Overall, I argue that the adequate knowledge of emotions provided by reason lies at the core of Spinoza’s project of formulating guidelines for the attainment of human flourishing, that is, freedom.

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