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Spinoza on the Eternity of the Mind

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2016

MOGENS LÆRKE
MOGENS LÆRKE*
Affiliation:
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
*
*<mogenslaerke@hotmail.com>
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Abstract

In this paper, I propose a reading of Spinoza’s theory of the eternity of the mind in light of his theory of essence and existence. Opposing in particular recent Platonist readings of this theory, rejecting the dichotomy between formal essence and actual essence, upon which they mostly rely, I argue that Spinoza’s conception of the eternity of the mind must be grasped in terms of different aspects of one and the same existence. I moreover suggest that, for Spinoza, the mind was both sempiternal and eternal, without, however, those two aspects of the mind’s existence being identical.

Dans cet article, je propose une interprétation de la conception spinoziste de l’éternité de l’esprit à la lumière de sa théorie de l’essence et de l’existence. En m’opposant en particulier à des interprétations platonistes récentes, et en réfutant la dichotomie entre essences formelles et essences actuelles sur laquelle elles reposent pour la plupart, je maintiens que la conception spinoziste de l’éternité de l’esprit doit être comprise en termes des aspects distincts d’une seule et même existence. Je maintiens en outre que, pour Spinoza, l’esprit est à la fois sempiternel et éternel, sans pour autant que ces deux aspects de son existence se confondent.

Keywords

Spinozaeternitysempiternitydurationimmortalityformal essencenon-existence
Type
Articles
Information
Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review / Revue canadienne de philosophie , Volume 55 , Issue 2 , June 2016 , pp. 265 - 286
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Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Philosophical Association 2016 

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