A dimensão ética do desejo em Spinoza

Abstract

The present work aims to investigate the ethical dimension of desire in the philosophy of Benedictus Spinoza, focusing on the innovation of this concept within his naturalistic and immanent philosophy. Contrary to traditional conceptions that viewed desire as lack or as something to be repressed, Spinoza conceives it as the very essence of the human being, a continuous effort to persevere in existence. The research examines the evolution of the concept of desire, beginning with Greek philosophy and extending through modern thinkers such as Hobbes and Descartes, until reaching Spinoza’s break with traditional morality. It highlights that desire, when guided by reason, becomes a power (potentia) that leads to freedom and virtue, establishing an ethics grounded in the understanding of the natural causes of human behavior. In this sense, Spinoza proposes an ethics of necessity, in which freedom is achieved through reason and through the comprehension of the affects