Charles M Saunders

Spinoza's Strange Symbiosis Charles M Saunders

Contemporary science depicts the 'emotions' as, at best, secondary qualities. This indicates that they are not 'real'; they cannot be measured and are entirely individual and subjective. Spinoza's "Ethics" Part Three unseats this confused notion of human psychology. Our 'Emotions' are not only not secondary but they in fact comprise the major function in precisely what it means to be human. Our emotions represent the signals or what Spinoza terms 'impressions' which our body gathers from its interaction with the external world. These 'impressions' act as 'triggers' which convey to the mind the raw emotional input which become converted into virtually all of our thoughts. Thus, the 'affects' [emotions] control all of our actions, reactions and behaviors. At first Baruch's insights on human nature will shock and surprise, but once each reader can begin to recognize the 'truth value' in his assessment and can further recognize these emotional triggers acting in our lives, a new understanding will emerge on what it means to be human. In Spinoza's Strange Symbiosis we will begin the process of learning of this new and exciting view of psychology by beginning the process of gaining familiarlty with the lexicon Spinoza employs to characterize the nature and interrelations among the fundamental emotions. This will prove to be challenging 'Work', but we examine each proposition together and once we have completed this initial aspect we will be prepared to move into the even more challenging subject matter of "Ethics" Parts 4 and 5. The "Ethics" Parts 3-4-5 constitute the body of Spinoza's revolutionary understanding of human psychology. Eventually his understanding will form the basis for the emergence of a new paradigm in all psychological theory and practice.