Superphysics
Propositions 9 to 14
by Spinoza
1 minutes • 200 words
Table of contents
- 9. The mind, both in so far as it has clear and distinct ideas, and also in so far as it has confused ideas, endeavours to persist in its being for an indefinite period, and of this endeavour it is conscious.
- 10. An idea, which excludes the existence of our body, cannot be postulated in our mind, but is contrary thereto.
- 11. Whatsoever increases or diminishes, helps or hinders the power of activity in our body, the idea thereof increases or diminishes, helps or hinders the power of thought in our mind.
9. The mind, both in so far as it has clear and distinct ideas, and also in so far as it has confused ideas, endeavours to persist in its being for an indefinite period, and of this endeavour it is conscious.
10. An idea, which excludes the existence of our body, cannot be postulated in our mind, but is contrary thereto.
11. Whatsoever increases or diminishes, helps or hinders the power of activity in our body, the idea thereof increases or diminishes, helps or hinders the power of thought in our mind.
- As far as it can, the mind endeavours to conceive things which increases or helps the power of activity in the body.
- When the mind conceives things which reduce or hinder the body’s power of activity, it endeavours, as far as possible, to remember things which exclude the existence of the first-named things.
Corollary= It follows that the mind shrinks from conceiving those things, which reduce or constrain the power of itself and of the body.
- If the mind has once been affected by two emotions at the same time, it will, whenever it is afterwards affected by one of these two, be also affected by the other.
