Affects, Actions and Passions in Spinoza - The Unity of Body and Mind

A new analysis of the mind/body relationship based on the philosophy of Spinoza

It is widely recognised that Spinoza put an end to the Cartesian dualism of body and mind by thinking through the possibility of their unity. Revisiting this generally accepted notion of psychophysical parallelism in Spinoza, Chantal Jaquet offers a new analysis of the relation between body and mind. Using an original methodology, she analyses their unity in action through the affects that bring together a body's affection and the idea of this affection.

Looking at a range of Spinoza's texts, Jaquet reveals that understanding affects, actions and passions provides the key to how the mind and body are the same individual expressed in two different ways. She presents the Spinozist model in all its complexity, illuminating its potentialities for contemporary debates on the nature of the mind-body problem.

Key Features

• Critiques the false conception of psychophysical parallelism in Spinoza


• Gives us a new analysis of the mind/body relationship


• Contrasts Descartes' conception of the passions with Spinoza's conception of the affects


• Defines Spinozian affects and their variations in a new way

About the author

Chantal Jaquet is Professor of Philosophy at the Université Paris I, Panthéon-Sorbonne. She is the author of numerous books on Spinoza.

Tatiana Reznichenko is a freelance translator and conference interpreter based in Paris.

Summary

Revisiting the generally accepted notion of psycho-physical parallelism in Spinoza, Chantal Jaquet offers a new analysis of the relation between body and mind. Looking at a range of Spinoza's texts, and using an original methodology, she analyses their unity in action through affects, actions and passions.

Product details

• Authors: Chantal Jaquet, Chantal (Head of Department of Languages a Jaquet, Chantal (Head of Department of Languages and Cultures Jaquet, JAQUET CHANTAL
• Assisted by: Tatiana Reznichenko (Translation), Tatiana (professional translator Reznichenko (Translation)
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2018
• EAN: 9781474433198
• ISBN: 978-1-4744-3319-8
• No. of pages: 176
• Series: Spinoza Studies; Spinoza Studies; Spinoza
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: antiquity to present day; Philosophie des Geistes, Soziale und politische Philosophie