The Body as Means: Bodily Becoming Active in Spinoza’s Ethics

Gilles Deleuze once said that Spinoza’s observation that “we do not know in advance what a body can do” should be read as a battle cry against the philosophical tradition which, since ancient times, has minimized the role of the body in the formation of knowledge . This article delves into the role of the body in Spinoza’s Ethics by examining what I will call the inter-activity of the body. Commentators often interpret the activity as relating
to the formation of rational thinking through so-called “common sense” ethics. However, in doing so, they often overlook the central role that the body plays in the process of becoming active. Thought, for Spinoza, always exists “among things”, and as such must be interpreted according to the essential causal relation of the body. Action of thought; the activity of thinking must be understood as an expression of a more fundamental activity of the body if we are to be faithful to the implications of Spinoza’s monistic ontology. The purpose of this article is therefore to show how physical activity is a necessary complement to spiritual activity in Ethics. In light of this, I will show in the final parts of my research, how the role of the body and the role in Spinoza’s philosophy urge us to rethink not only the actions, but the work of thought in general.

Keywords: Spinoza, Ethics, Activity, Becoming Active, Body, Affectivity.