Lines, planes and bodies

In the preface to part 3 of the Ethics, Spinoza writes that he intended to consider human actions and appetites “just as if it were a question of lines, planes, and bodies”. He intends to provide a geometry of the emotions, that is, a scientific or even mechanical account of why humans do what they do and feel what they feel. What he wrote is meant primarily as an explanation for what actually happens, although at the same time Spinoza manages to give some advice about what humans should do if they want to have the best chances of experiencing more satisfaction than misery in their lives.

It should be observed at the outset that Spinoza is not very optimistic about our chances of success. Human beings are relatively weak finite modes of the one substance; there are many natural forces – from earthquakes and avalanches to viruses and strokes – that can overwhelm us, diminish us and destroy us. It is a certainty that eventually we will be worn down by the world, die and disintegrate. Along the way we will find that “we are driven about in many ways by external causes, and that, like waves upon the sea, driven by contrary winds, we toss about, not knowing our outcome and fate” (E 3p59s). Still, as we shall see, Spinoza does think there is a way of life that we would be wise to pursue, even if there is no doubt about our vulnerability and our eventual failure.