E-LOGOS 2020, 27(1):56-70 | DOI: 10.18267/j.e-logos.472

Being oneself and being self-conscious. Spinoza's concept of freedom

Hynek Tippelt
Politology and Philosophy Department, Faculty of Arts of Jan Evangelista Purkynì University in Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic.

The aim of this study is to clarify Spinoza’s concept of freedom and outline the meaning of this concept in Spinoza's philosophical system as a whole. First, I outline the position of the topic of freedom within the framework of Spinoza's philosophical teachings and its reception. Then I gradually turn to how Spinoza’s topic of freedom appears in the context of ontology, ethics and political philosophy. Spinoza's philosophy is ontological - ethics and political philosophy are the application of his ontology. That is why I will start with the interpretation of its basic metaphysical notions - substance, attributes, and modes. In an ethical context, it is possible to speak of Spinozism of freedom with regard to the concept of so-called power of mind over affects, which will be the next center of interpretation. I will conclude with a summary of Spinoza's political-philosophical views on freedom.

Keywords: Baruch Spinoza, ontology, ethics, freedom.

Received: May 9, 2020; Revised: May 9, 2020; Accepted: November 1, 2020; Prepublished online: November 1, 2020; Published: September 1, 2020  Show citation

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Tippelt, H. (2020). Being oneself and being self-conscious. Spinoza's concept of freedom. E-LOGOS, 27(1), 56-70. doi: 10.18267/j.e-logos.472
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