Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b95js Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-14T01:06:17.175Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5. - Adequacy

from A

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

By
Olli Koistinen
Edited by
Karolina Hübner  and
Justin Steinberg
Karolina Hübner
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Justin Steinberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Get access

Summary

In the Ethics, Spinoza speaks of “adequate idea” (idea adequata) and “adequate cause” (causa adequata). Spinoza defines these as follows:

By adequate idea I understand an idea which, insofar as it is considered in itself, without relation to an object, has all the properties, or intrinsic denominations of a true idea. Exp.: I say intrinsic to exclude what is extrinsic, namely, the agreement of the idea with its object.

(E2def4)

I call that cause adequate whose effect can be clearly and distinctly perceived through it. But I call it partial, or inadequate, if its effect cannot be understood through it alone.

(E3def1)
For Spinoza adequate ideas are equivalent to true ideas (E2def4) and to see the connection between adequate causation and adequate ideas we will consider true ideas. A true idea is an idea that agrees with its object (E1a6) and it is also self-presenting in the sense that no one can have a true idea without knowing that it is true (E2p43s) A true idea not only tells how things are or how a thing should be correctly defined but also shows its own truth to the subject who has the idea. The following example, in which Spinoza gives a definition of a sphere, explains this

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon , pp. 14 - 16
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Recommended Reading

Bennett, J. (1984). A Study of Spinoza’s Ethics. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Gueroult, M. (1974). Spinoza, vol. ii: L’Ame (Éthique, 2). Aubier-Montaigne.Google Scholar
McAllister, B. (2014). Adequate and inadequate ideas in Spinoza. History of Philosophy Quarterly, 31, 119–36.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

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 Dropbox.

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.

Available formats
×