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180. - Temperament

from T

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

By
Donald Rutherford
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 concept of temperament (ingenium) plays an underappreciated role in Spinoza’s practical philosophy. The Latin term ingenium signifies an innate disposition of mind or character. In the TTP, Spinoza refers to the ingenia of peoples and individuals, generally translated by Edwin Curley as their “mentality” (TTP3.44; TTP4.33; TTP5.7, 27–28; TTP16.62). In the Ethics, Spinoza grounds an individual’s affects and value judgments in their underlying ingenium, rendered by Curley as “temperament” (E3p31s, E4p37s1–2, E4p70d, E5p4s). Despite the difference in translation, there is reason to see the same notion of ingenium at work throughout Spinoza’s writings.

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Chapter
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The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon , pp. 525 - 527
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

Recommended Reading

Kisner, M. J. (2011). Spinoza on Human Freedom: Reason, Autonomy and the Good Life. Cambridge University Press. Chapter 11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lærke, M. (2021). Spinoza and the Freedom of Philosophizing. Oxford University Press. Chapter 4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moreau, P.-F. (1994). Spinoza, l’expérience et l’éternité. PUF. Part 2, Chapter 3.Google Scholar
Steinberg, J. (2018). Spinoza’s Political Psychology: The Taming of Fortune and Fear Cambridge University Press. Chapter 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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