Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Human Reason and Natural Law

The contrast, in II, 8 of Political Treatise, between Human Reason and Natural Law, and the formulation, in II, 4, of Right and Power "over" Nature, suggest a potentially antithetical relation between Humanity and Nature that is inconsistent with the fundamental principles of Spinoza's system.  For, according to the latter, Thought is an attribute of everything that exists, i. e. of God/Substance/Nature.  Hence, natural laws are Ideas in that entity.  But, so too are the ideas of human reason, which, as, by definition, Adequate, are, likewise, ideas in God.  So, since Consistency is a characteristic of Rationality, there cannot be any antithesis between Human Reason and Natural Law.  Likewise, because human Power is equivalent to Rationality, its relation to Nature is not that of "over", but must be that of 'within'.  Accordingly, in Spinoza's system, any Idea of Humanity as possessing an unfettered Right to appropriate the rest of Nature to its purposes is Inadequate.

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