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

by Chantal Jaquet (Author), Tatiana Reznichenko (Translator)

It is widely recognised that Spinoza ended the Cartesian dualism of body and mind by thinking through the possibility of their unity. Revisiting this 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 the affects that bring together a body's affection and the idea of this affection. 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.

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A new analysis of the mind-body relationship 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. Chantal Jaquet is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. Tatiana Reznichenko is a freelance translator and conference interpreter based in Paris. Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-3318-1 Barcode

Author Biography

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