Baruch Spinoza - The beginning of Enlightenment -2
On the Nature and Origin of the Mind
Mind is probably the most intriguing of all the things we are aware of. Why is it intriguing? Because we think we know it all. I know my mind and that of my friend. Really ? How often Have we had to change our stands, actions? As to the other mind (say that of your friend ) it is much more uncertain.
A little recap. As I have said in connection with Descartes the notion of mind is tied up with epistemology (or the question of how do we know what we know ? How are we sure about it?). It is also tied up with Ontology (loosely the nature of external world -nature in the sense of real. table, chair etc are they real? or we are dreaming?). Descartes claimed that mind and body (hands legs etc)were two different substances.
To me Spinoza puts the cart before the horse when he claims that only by understanding the infinite mind of God can the finite mind of man learn about the nature of body, experience and knowledge. In other words we move from God to ontology and epistemology whereas our notions of ontology and epistemology lead some of us to God.
Part 2 Actually deals with Minds and is called ‘On the Nature and Origin of the Mind’.
In this part Spinoza will try to convince you that thoughts
do not cause actions, that most of your knowledge is imaginary, that inanimate objects have minds(sometimes referred to as vitalism ) and that you have no inner ‘self’.
Here is a summary of what ethics Part 2 says
God as a thinking thing. God alone is a thinking thing (all other minds are modes of thinking) God is the activity of thinking.
D3 tells us that ideas are concepts formed by God’s activity
(what does it mean to think?can there be disembodied thinkinG?
every mind is an idea??)
His theory is sometimes called dual aspect theory—that is, mind and body are two different aspects of one and the same substance
(according to him, the only substance-God).
Basically Spinoza reduces everything mind , matter and what have you to God. There is only one thinking thing and that is God. Think of a substance or action or phenomena it is God. There is but God , God and nothing but God which is present all over the place -stones for example (Now this Pantheism).Looks like Spinoza thought God loves spinning the planets and watch them go! or the inebriated fumbling and stumbling!
The trouble with all this is is there God as mind or substance?This is a well known problem - 'Existence of God' and there is no conclusive proof that "God exists". If that is so whither Spinoza's Theory of mind?
In this part Spinoza will try to convince you that thoughts
do not cause actions, that most of your knowledge is imaginary, that inanimate objects have minds(sometimes referred to as vitalism ) and that you have no inner ‘self’.
Here is a summary of what ethics Part 2 says
God as a thinking thing. God alone is a thinking thing (all other minds are modes of thinking) God is the activity of thinking.
D3 tells us that ideas are concepts formed by God’s activity
(what does it mean to think?can there be disembodied thinkinG?
every mind is an idea??)
His theory is sometimes called dual aspect theory—that is, mind and body are two different aspects of one and the same substance
(according to him, the only substance-God).
Basically Spinoza reduces everything mind , matter and what have you to God. There is only one thinking thing and that is God. Think of a substance or action or phenomena it is God. There is but God , God and nothing but God which is present all over the place -stones for example (Now this Pantheism).Looks like Spinoza thought God loves spinning the planets and watch them go! or the inebriated fumbling and stumbling!
The trouble with all this is is there God as mind or substance?This is a well known problem - 'Existence of God' and there is no conclusive proof that "God exists". If that is so whither Spinoza's Theory of mind?
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