Book contents
- The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon
- The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Using this Lexicon
- Abbreviations
- A
- B
- C
- D
- 42. De la Court, Pieter (1618–1685) and Johan (1622–1660)
- 43. Deleuze, Gilles (1925–1995)
- 44. Democracy
- 45. Descartes, René (1596–1650)
- 46. Descartes’s Principles of Philosophy
- 47. Desire
- 48. Determination
- 49. Devotion
- 50. Dictates of Reason
- 51. Diderot, Denis (1713–1784)
- 52. Dutch Cartesianism
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- Bibliography
- Index of Cross-References
- References
50. - Dictates of Reason
from D
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 January 2025
Book contents
- The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon
- The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Using this Lexicon
- Abbreviations
- A
- B
- C
- D
- 42. De la Court, Pieter (1618–1685) and Johan (1622–1660)
- 43. Deleuze, Gilles (1925–1995)
- 44. Democracy
- 45. Descartes, René (1596–1650)
- 46. Descartes’s Principles of Philosophy
- 47. Desire
- 48. Determination
- 49. Devotion
- 50. Dictates of Reason
- 51. Diderot, Denis (1713–1784)
- 52. Dutch Cartesianism
- E
- F
- G
- H
- I
- J
- K
- L
- M
- N
- O
- P
- Q
- R
- S
- T
- U
- V
- W
- Bibliography
- Index of Cross-References
- References
Summary
Spinoza employs the phrase “dictate of reason” and related expressions frequently in the TTP, Ethics, and TP to designate the condition under which a human being lives the life of greatest power or perfection. To be virtuous, or free, is to live from, or according to, the dictate of reason alone (ex solo rationis dictamine vivit) (TTP16[32]; E3p59s, E4p37d, E4p58s, E4p67d, E4p72d, E5p4s).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon , pp. 126 - 128Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024
References
Recommended Reading
Curley, E. M. (1973). Spinoza’s moral philosophy. In Greene, M. (ed.), Spinoza: A Collection of Critical Essays (pp. 354–76). University Of Notre Dame Press.Google Scholar
Kisner, M. J. (2011). Spinoza on Human Freedom: Reason, Autonomy and the Good Life. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, J. (2012). Spinoza and natural law. In Jacobs, J. A. (ed.), Reason, Religion and Natural Law (pp. 201–21). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Rutherford, D. (2008). Spinoza and the dictates of reason. Inquiry, 51(4), 485–511.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steinberg, J. (2014). “Following a recta ratio vivendi.” In Kisner, M. J. and Youpa, A. (eds.), Essays on Spinoza’s Ethical Theory (pp. 178–96). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Steinberg, J. (2018). Spinoza’s Political Psychology: The Taming of Fortune and Fear. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar