文档介绍：THE ETHICS
THE ETHICS
PART V: Of the Power of the Understanding, or of Human
Freedom
Benedict de Spinoza
Translated by R. H. M. Elwes

1
THE ETHICS
PREFACE
At length I pass to the remaining portion of my Ethics, which is
concerned with the way leading to freedom. I shall therefore treat therein
of the power of the reason, showing how far the reason can control the
emotions, and what is the nature of Mental Freedom or Blessedness; we
shall then be able to see, how much more powerful the wise man is than
the ignorant. It is no part of my design to point out the method and means
whereby the understanding may be perfected, nor to show the skill
whereby the body may be so tended, as to be capable of the due
performance of its functions. The latter question lies in the province of
Medicine, the former in the province of Logic. Here, therefore, I repeat, I
shall treat only of the power of the mind, or of reason; and I shall mainly
show the extent and nature of its dominion over the emotions, for their
control and moderation. That we do not possess absolute dominion over
them, I have already shown. Yet the Stoics have thought, that the emotions
depended absolutely on our will, and that we could absolutely govern
them. But these philosophers pelled, by the protest of experience,
not from their own principles, to confess, that no slight practice and zeal is
needed to control and moderate them: and this someone endeavoured to
illustrate by the example (if I remember rightly) of two dogs, the one a
house-dog and the other a hunting-dog. For by long training it could be
brought about, that the house-dog should e accustomed to hunt, and
the hunting-dog to cease from running after hares. To this opinion
Descartes not a little inclines. For he maintained, that the soul or mind is
specially united to a particular part of the brain, namely, to that part called
the pineal gland, by the aid of which the mind is enabled to feel all the
movement