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67. - Falsity and Error

from F

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

By
Stephan Schmid
Edited by
Karolina Hübner  and
Justin Steinberg
Karolina Hübner
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Justin Steinberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

The concepts of falsity (falsitas) and error (error) are central to all of Spinoza’s works insofar as it is a major aim of Spinoza to cure us of our (often deeply entrenched) errors or false ideas. In many of his works (most notably in the TIE, KV, and Ethics) Spinoza goes into great detail to teach the means by which he thinks we can detect and overcome our errors or false ideas. Nonetheless, Spinoza’s theory of falsity and error is notoriously elusive and raises serious difficulties.

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The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon , pp. 171 - 176
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

Recommended Reading

Bennett, J. (1986). Spinoza on error. Philosophical Papers, 15(1), 59–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Della Rocca, M. (1996). Representation and the Mind-Body Problem in Spinoza (pp. 107–17). Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garrett, D. (2018). Representation, misrepresentation, and error in Spinoza’s philosophy of mind. In Della Rocca, M. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Spinoza (pp. 190–203). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gueroult, M. (1974). Spinoza, vol. ii: L’Ame (Éthique, 2). Aubier-Montaigne. Especially chap. 10, 301–23.Google Scholar
LeBuffe, M. (2009). Imagination and error. In LeBuffe, , From Bondage to Freedom: Spinoza on Human Excellence (pp. 77–98). Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, D. (2007). Spinoza on having a false idea. Metaphysica, 8(1), 17–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parkinson, G. H. R. (1964). Truth and falsity in Spinoza. In Parkinson, , Spinoza’s Theory of Knowledge (pp. 112–37). Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Radner, D. (1971). Spinoza’s theory of ideas. Philosophical Review, 80(3), 338–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steinberg, J. (2018). Two puzzles concerning Spinoza’s conception of belief. European Journal of Philosophy, 26(1), 261–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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