The three final doctrines of Spinoza : intuition, amor Dei, the eternity of the mind

Title: The three final doctrines of Spinoza : intuition, amor Dei, the eternity of the mind
Source document: Pro-Fil. 2020, vol. 21, iss. 1, pp. 41-50
Extent
41-50
  • ISSN
    1212-9097 (online)
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
 

Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.

Abstract(s)
The study deals with the matter of three of the most puzzling doctrines of Baruch Spinoza's system, the so-called 'final doctrines', which are intuitive knowledge, intellectual love of God, and the eternity of the (human) mind. Contrary to many commentators, but also in concordance with many others, this account strives to affirm the utmost importance of these doctrines to Spinoza's system as a whole, but mostly to his ethical theory. Focusing specifically on the cultivation of the human mind, the paper offers partial analyses of the central notions of these doctrines and their conceptual contexts. It is argued that the cultivation of the human mind, i.e., its determination to its perfect activity, should be considered as Spinoza's ultimate ethical goal, and that the mind truly only advances to this goal by means of these cognitive, affective, and intellectual transformations of thinking.
Note
This study was supported by the Scientific Grant Agency of the Slovak Republic under the grant VEGA No. 2/0110/18 Genealogy of Conscience, Phenomenality of Action and Existence in the Dialogue with Others – Points of Departure and their Problems.
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