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Chapter 7 - Freedom and Blessedness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2022

Henry E. Allison
Affiliation:
Boston University
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Summary

The fifth and final part of the Ethics is entitled “On the Power of the Intellect, or on Human Freedom.” The title reflects Spinoza’s relativized conception of human freedom, understood as control of the passions by the intellect. As the title suggests, it is intended to complement the fourth part, the full title of which is “On Human Bondage, or the Powers of the Affects.” Like E4, E5 is divided into two radically distinct parts, only the first of which is indicated by the title. The first part (E5p1–p20) provides an account of how and the extent to which human reason is able to control the passions and achieve the kind of freedom of which human beings are capable, insofar as they live according to the guidance of reason, which I have characterized as autocracy, while the second part (E5p21–p40) is concerned with the state of blessedness or beatitude (beatitudo), which, as the term suggests, is for Spinoza at once the condition of victory in the struggle with the passions and his rationalistic-naturalistic counterpart to the traditional religious conception of blessedness.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Freedom and Blessedness
  • Henry E. Allison, Boston University
  • Book: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Spinoza
  • Online publication: 24 February 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009099066.008
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  • Freedom and Blessedness
  • Henry E. Allison, Boston University
  • Book: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Spinoza
  • Online publication: 24 February 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009099066.008
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Freedom and Blessedness
  • Henry E. Allison, Boston University
  • Book: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Spinoza
  • Online publication: 24 February 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009099066.008
Available formats
×