The Ethics by Spinoza and Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous by Berkeley - Essay Example

Spinoza's "The Ethics" is written in five parts, in a highly logical style of definitions, propositions and proofs. Through his book, Spinoza describes God as an infinite eternal substance which exists (8). All things are made in accordance with the laws of the infinite nature of God. God is an infinite substance with infinite attributes and each of these attributes reflect God's eternal and infinite essence (8). Each attribute that reflects God's essence also reflects God's existence. God's essence is perfect and this perfection implies that God must exist (16). Infinite substance is indivisible in Spinoza's view. He argues that if infinite substance were divisible then it could either be divided into two finite parts or it could be divided into two equally infinite parts; both of them being impossible. This proves that there is only one infinite substance and Spinoza believes that to be God (13). Since God is infinite substance, every being in existence has its being in God and nothing can exist without God (9). He proves that God is infinite substance and that no other substance exists outside of God. Thus Spinoza claims that God is present in all things; God is omnipotent. Spinoza argues that the will is the same as the intellect and in God, intellect is actual. God can think of infinite number of things in infinite number of ways. This infinite intellect of God comprehends all of God's attributes. All ideas are present in the intellect of God and the human mind is a part of the infinite intellect of God (13). Therefore, Spinoza maintains that ideas are adequate and true as long as they refer to God and reflect the essence of God. He also maintains that ideas that logically follow from such adequate ideas will remain adequate as well. Since adequate ideas must necessarily represent the essence of God, the idea of any substance's actual existence must also come from God. In this case, the human mind must be capable of knowing God and God's infinite essence. Spinoza explains that the human mind may have both adequate and inadequate ideas. Adequate ideas are subject to reason whereas inadequate ideas are subject to emotions. There are three primary emotions from which all other emotions are derived - desire, pleasure and pain. Desire may arise from either pleasure or pain, pleasure arises from a transition from a lesser to a greater state of perfection and pain from a transition from greater to lesser state of perfection. For Spinoza, perfection is reality and since is God is absolutely perfect, he is also absolutely real (14). Spinoza argues that knowledge of good and evil comes from awareness of what causes pleasure and pain. The greatest good of the mind and the greatest virtue it can hold is to know God. To act with virtue is to act with reason and freedom is the ability to act with reason. Freedom is the ability to act rationally and to control emotions; not to subject to emotions and make free undetermined choices. Spinoza agrees that all emotions need not conflict with reason. Emotions that compliment reason causes pleasure whereas pain is caused by emotions that conflict reason (12). Adequate ideas reflect the infinite essence of God and they are subject to reason. Acting with reason causes pleasure and spreads goodness to all. Inadequate ideas do not express the essence of God and thus, knowledge of evil is inadequate knowledge. Inadequate knowledge thus causes pain. According to Spinoza, reason can control emotions and to live freely one must not be in servitude to emotions. Reason is virtue and virtue is the knowledge of God and thus, Spinoza proves that the better control one exhibits over one's emotions, the better one can understand God (12). In Spinoza's view, all ideas are found in god and only those ideas that truly reflect the essence and knowledge of God are adequate and only those ideas provide freedom to the human mind. Berkeley's book "Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous" is broken into three separate sections, or dialogues. Through the first dialogue he tries to prove that materialism is false. Berkeley is an empiricist and therefore believes only in knowledge that comes directly through sensory experiences or that which is inferred on the basis of such experiences (5). In accordance with that principle, Berkeley proves that one has no immediate perception of mind-independent material objects and therefore no basis on which to infer the existence of the same. He argues that experiences fundamentally involve some sensation such as pleasure or pain and these sensations cannot exist in material objects as they cannot exist outside of the mind (8). With this argument he proves that when the sensation cannot exist outside of mind, then the object that causes that sensation also exists within the mind. Also, different objects tend to appear differently to different minds (5,6). With these arguments, Berkeley proves that all objects are mind-dependent. Berkeley believes that there are only two sorts of definite and conclusive things in the world - ideas and the minds that conceive them. He sees real things as collections of sensations and sensations are completely dependent on the mind (38). This only proves that the world is real and made up entirely of ideas. In proving so, Berkeley thinks he has defeated skepticism through common sense. There is no skepticism involved because by proving that all real things are sensations, he makes no distinction between appearance and reality. God is the ultimate and infinite perceiver according to Berkeley. An object exists only because God perceives it, he brings all things into existence by conceiving them and then continues to perceive them, thereby keeping them in existence (41). This therefore means that all things, all ideas, exist in God's mind. A human mind is allowed to access them periodically, in fixed patterns referred to as the "laws of nature". For example, seeing fire is accompanied by feeling heat, seeing snow is accompanied by feeling cold, the sensation of touching water is accompanied by the sensation of feeling wet, touching a cat is accompanied by feeling softness and so on. All these sensations exist as ideas in the mind of God, the ultimate perceiver. As proven earlier, the only things that have definite existence in this world are ideas and the minds that perceive or conceive them. Berkeley refers to these minds are spirits and states that nothing exists outside of the mind, except the mind or the spirit itself. All finite spirits, according to Berkeley, exist within God's mind. In other words, all human minds exist as a fragment of God's mind. Therefore, a human mind has access to the ideas conceived by God's mind (42). He reasons that God contains all the ideas inside his mind, like an encyclopedia of ideas and inferences, and human minds are allowed access to them in certain fixed patterns. There is another reason for concluding that God is the ultimate perceiver. This is because some sensations a mind feels are involuntary. Like for instance, one can form the image of a watermelon in the imagination, but cannot choose to see one with his eyes. This is act against one's will to see the watermelon even when there is a form in the mind. This proves that there is some force out there that causes these sensations in the human minds. This infinite force, Berkeley concludes, is God (41). God is the conceiver of every sensation; that is, a human mid cannot feel or perceive unless he gains access to the already conceived sensation that exists within God. All things exist in accordance with how God's perception of them and that is their actual and original existence in this world. Through this Berkeley proves that there is no world outside of God (40). Berkeley's view of God is considered to be an antidote to atheism. In his struggle to prove idealism over materialism, he concludes that God is the central part of the whole system and that God is the only external existence outside of finite minds. God's role in such a system is irreplaceable because there will be no existence unless God perceives it. Berkeley held that one cannot be an idealist if he is an atheist. To be an idealist one has to believe in a spiritual force that is outside of the human mind, a force that is much more powerful that the human mind (42). Berkeley also states, later on in his book, that God is omnipotent (45). God is much greater than the human mind that God can do anything by a sheer act of will. He also states that it is insulting to God's wisdom to insinuate that he needs help from inert objects to form his perceptions of material objects (41). Comparing the books Both the authors believe in the existence of an external force that is much more powerful that the human mind. Even though they use different views, they conclude that this force is God and that God is omnipotent. Spinoza argues that God is an infinite substance and that all matter exists within God. All ideas come from God and the virtue of the human mind lies in the knowledge and acceptance of God. The human mind is a part of the infinite intellect of God and only the knowledge that reflects the essence of God is true and real. God is the necessary cause of all things and no substance exists outside of God. Berkeley reaches the same conclusions through a different route. He believes that ideas and the mind that perceives them are the only two things that exist in the world. God is the ultimate and true perceiver and all ideas exist within God. A human mind gains access to this vast knowledge of God and thus perceives it in a fixed pattern. The only things that have definite existence in this world are ideas and the minds that perceive or conceive them. Berkeley refers to these minds are spirits and states that nothing exists outside of the mind, except the mind or the spirit itself. God is the only external existence outside of finite minds and all human minds exist as a fragment of God's mind. The concept most similar to both the books is that all that is real in this world comes from God. Spinoza maintains that all ideas are found in god and only those ideas that truly reflect the essence and knowledge of God are true and real and only those ideas provide freedom to the human mind. Berkeley explains that an object exists only because God perceives it and that all things, all ideas, exist only in God's mind. A human mind is allowed to access them periodically and in fixed patterns. Thus we can conclude that both authors support the idea that all objects depend for their existence on God's mind. Works Cited Page The Ethics by Benedict de Spinoza (translated by R. H. M Elwes) 11th Edition, Released in February 2003 - EText from Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous by George Berkeley, 10th Edition, Released in December 2003 - EText from Read More