What Baruch Spinoza thinks about happiness

@baruch-spinoza · 46 positions · On ppll ↗

Dutch philosopher (1632 to 1677), born in Amsterdam's Portuguese-Jewish community; died in The Hague; author of the Ethics and the Theological-Political Treatise.

Baruch Spinoza did not write this page.

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Only Baruch Spinoza on happiness. See everyone on happiness

4 dated positions, c. 1670 to c. 1661–1675, in their own words. Our reading of what Baruch Spinoza has said — not written or endorsed by them.

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1. c. 1661–1675

   Our readingA free person thinks about death least of all; their wisdom is a meditation on life, not death

   Their wordsA free man thinks of death least of all things; and his wisdom is a meditation not of death but of life.

   ↗Ethics (tr. R. H. M. Elwes, 1883)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book

3. c. 1661–1675

   Our readingBlessedness is not the reward of virtue but virtue itself; we do not rejoice because we control our lusts, we control them because we rejoice

   Their wordsBlessedness is not the reward of virtue, but virtue itself; neither do we rejoice therein, because we control our lusts, but, contrariwise, because we rejoice therein, we are able to control our lusts.

   ↗Ethics (tr. R. H. M. Elwes, 1883)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book

5. c. 1670

   Our readingFreedom of judgment can be granted without harming public peace, and without it neither piety nor peace is secure

   Their wordsNow, seeing that we have the rare happiness of living in a republic, where everyone's judgment is free and unshackled, where each may worship God as his conscience dictates, and where freedom is esteemed before all things dear and precious, I have believed that I should be undertaking no ungrateful or unprofitable task, in demonstrating that not only can such freedom be granted without prejudice to the public peace, but also, that without such freedom, piety cannot flourish nor the public peace be secure.

   ↗Theologico-Political Treatise, Part 1 (1670; R. H. M. Elwes translation)gutenberg.org All 20 from this book

7. c. 1670

   Our readingTrue happiness lies in enjoying the good, not in the pride of enjoying it while others do not

   Their wordsEvery man's true happiness and blessedness consist solely in the enjoyment of what is good, not in the pride that he alone is enjoying it, to the exclusion of others.

   ↗Theologico-Political Treatise, Part 1 (1670; R. H. M. Elwes translation)gutenberg.org All 20 from this book