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73. - Fortune

from F

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

By
Martin Saar
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 Latin term fortuna, mostly translated as fortune, traditionally has a wide range of meanings, referring to chance, luck, coincidence, but also fate or destiny. It can refer to what happens accidentally, good or bad, but also to what is needed so that something good happens. In the Spinozist lexicon, the term is prominent, but far less frequent than other systematic concepts. Its usage is not uniform: colloquial meanings stand next to a complex and quite original conceptual employment. Spinoza was evidently aware of the relevance of the term in the Stoic tradition and in the writings of the Roman historians he frequently quotes, but also in many humanist texts, and in particular in Machiavelli’s doctrine of virtue, occasion, and fortune. It also bears reminding that as a quasi-pagan category, as the name for the goddess of fate, fortuna also stands in tension with the Christian (and particularly Protestant) notion of providence which Spinoza violently opposes on philosophical grounds.

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Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon , pp. 186 - 188
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

Recommended Reading

Del Lucchese, F. (2009). Conflict, Power and Multitude in Machiavelli and Spinoza: Tumult and Indignation, trans. Z. Hanafi. Continuum.Google Scholar
Moreau, P.‐F. (1994). Spinoza: L’expérience et l’éternité. Presses Universitaires de France.Google Scholar
Morfino, V. (2018). The Spinoza–Machiavelli Encounter: Time and Occasion, trans. Mesing, D.. Edinburgh University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pitkin, H. (1984). Fortune is a Woman: Gender and Politics in the Thought of Niccolò Machiavelli. University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Reichert, K. (1985). Fortuna oder die Beständigkeit des Wechsels. Suhrkamp.Google Scholar
Steinberg, J. (2018). Spinoza’s Political Psychology: The Taming of Fortune and Fear. Cambridge University PressCrossRefGoogle Scholar

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  • Fortune
  • Edited by Karolina Hübner, Cornell University, New York, Justin Steinberg, Cornell University, New York
  • Book: The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon
  • Online publication: 09 January 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108992459.073
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  • Fortune
  • Edited by Karolina Hübner, Cornell University, New York, Justin Steinberg, Cornell University, New York
  • Book: The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon
  • Online publication: 09 January 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108992459.073
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Fortune
  • Edited by Karolina Hübner, Cornell University, New York, Justin Steinberg, Cornell University, New York
  • Book: The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon
  • Online publication: 09 January 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108992459.073
Available formats
×