Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b6zl4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-11T02:20:43.563Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

144. - Perfection

from P

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

By
Leonardo Moauro  and
Donald Rutherford
Edited by
Karolina Hübner  and
Justin Steinberg
Karolina Hübner
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Justin Steinberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Get access

Summary

Spinoza’s definition of perfection (perfectio) in the Ethics is straightforward: “By reality and perfection I understand the same thing” (E2def6). The perfection of things is simply their reality: “by perfection in general I shall, as I have said, understand reality, i.e., the essence of each thing insofar as it exists and produces an effect, having no regard to its duration” (E4pref, ii/209). This explains why Spinoza also identifies perfection with power: “the perfection of things is to be judged solely from their nature and power” (E1app, ii/83). Reality, power, and perfection all indicate the nature or essence of things, which Spinoza understands as their ability to exist and be the cause of effects.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon , pp. 416 - 419
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Recommended Reading

Carriero, J. (2018). The highest good and perfection in Spinoza. In Della Rocca, M. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Spinoza (pp. 240–72). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Hübner, K. (2014). Being human and human perfection. In Kisner, M. J. and Youpa, A. (eds.), Essays on Spinoza’s Ethical Theory (pp. 124–42). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Jarrett, C. (2014). Spinozistic constructivism. In Kisner, M. J. and Youpa, A., (eds.), Essays on Spinoza’s Ethical Theory (pp. 57–84). Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LeBuffe, M. (2010). From Bondage to Freedom: Spinoza on Human Excellence. Oxford University Press. Chapter 9.Google Scholar
Newlands, S. (2018). Reconceiving Spinoza. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nadler, S. (2019). Spinoza’s values: Joy, desire, and good in the Ethics. In Naaman-Zauderer, N. (ed.), Freedom, Action, and Motivation in Spinoza’s Ethics (pp. 174–97). Routledge.Google Scholar
Youpa, A. (2020). The Ethics of Joy: Spinoza on the Empowered Life. Oxford University Press.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×