Brandon Smith, "Spinoza's Strong Eudaimonism"
Work in Progress Seminar Series | Winter 2023
鈥淪pinoza's Strong Eudaimonism鈥�
Brandon Smith
Friday, February 3, 2023
3:30-5:30 PM
Leacock Building, Room 927
Abstract: In this paper I defend an eudaimonistic reading of Spinoza's ethical philosophy. Eudaimonism refers to the mainstream ethical tradition of the ancient Greeks, which considers happiness a naturalistic, partly subjective, structurally stable, and solely intrinsic good. Within this tradition, we can also draw a distinction between weak eudaimonists and strong eudaimonists. Weak eudaimonists do not ground their ethical conceptions of happiness in complete theories of metaphysics, epistemology, or psychology. Strong eudaimonists, conversely, build their conceptions of happiness around an overall philosophical system that extends far beyond ethics, while nevertheless being directed at the promotion of a happy life. I will show that Spinozistic happiness is not only naturalistic, partly subjective, structurally stable, and solely intrinsically good, but that Spinoza is also a strong eudaimonist because his ethical account of happiness is incomprehensible without appeal to metaphysical, epistemological, and psychological doctrines.
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