Mind and Body

Spinoza after explaining the theory of god’s existence shifts onto the nature and origin of the mind. His proofs of the existence of God and the intellect now lead up to mans minds and its workings in relation to god and nature. That being said, Spinoza states a body is a mode with certain attributes and expressions of god’s essence and work in tune in the grander picture of things. Starting on the opposite end of the spectrum, Descartes theory of the mind and the body is that the two are independent of each other. And since they are two separate things their workings don’t lend to each other or support each other. Same as a thought cannot be weighed nor has no physical properties, external ‘things’ to and of itself it have no correlation to the first. Both philosophers believe in the minds ability to think rationally and to exist in and of self, but while one makes clear distinctions between the two, Spinoza has a different view of body and mind.

Physical external things are finite and are limited to our precepts and experiences. A prior knowledge, a way of knowing before having any experience, are concepts already in the mind that don’t rely on experience but are realized (proven) a posteriori. Looking past substance and gods infinite being if we concentrate on what makes me me and you you, in body and in mind Spinoza view is that we are all finite beings made up of this finite “substance” and not different or special in any way aside from our modes. All things being a reflection of gods’ essence et al., it is also clear that things made that must survive gods plan and abide by his nature.

In P7 of The Ethics, Spinoza states: “the order and connection of ideas is the same as the order and connection of things.” In the case of Hume, experience or cause and effect is by no means knowledge or a path to knowledge. If by the same token an idea becomes thought and a thought become a concept, a misguided idea or thought can mushroom into non/false knowledge easily. Same as an external occurrence might be thought of caused something else and actually does not, IE four leaf clover for luck.

The mind not having the same hindrance the body is free but must work the same way nature governs the external world. To Spinoza all are of one body anyway but all have a unique mind to which we can think outside of external things and conceive and rationalize many things, including our existence, mathematical concepts and god in general and work in conjunction with the order the way god intended. Is the mind limited to the body and vise versa? Are the two separate?