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Full Idea
It is in the nature of reason to perceive things under a certain form of eternity ('sub quadam aeternitatis specie').
Gist of Idea
Reason perceives things under a certain form of eternity
Source
Baruch de Spinoza (The Ethics [1675], II Pr 44)
Book Ref
Spinoza,Benedict de: 'Ethics, Improvement of Understanding, Letters', ed/tr. Elwes,R [Dover 1955], p.117
A Reaction
A wonderful, and justly famous, remark. If you don't feel the force (and poetry!) of this, you aren't a philosopher. It is not only appealing, but I don't see how it can fail to be true. Try producing good reasons which only have temporary force.
| 350 | In investigation the body leads us astray, but the soul gets a clear view of the facts [Plato] |
| 17194 | Reason only explains what is universal, so it is timeless, under a certain form of eternity [Spinoza] |
| 4840 | Reason perceives things under a certain form of eternity [Spinoza] |
| 19335 | Reasonings have a natural ordering in God's understanding, but only a temporal order in ours [Leibniz] |
| 5578 | Pure reason deals with concepts in the understanding, not with objects [Kant] |
| 5603 | Pure reason exists outside of time [Kant] |
| 5616 | Pure reason is only concerned with itself because it deals with understandings, not objects [Kant] |
| 5628 | Reason hates to be limited in its speculations [Kant] |
| 21054 | Reason enables the unbounded extension of our rules and intentions [Kant] |
| 22081 | Let thought follow its own course, and don't interfere [Hegel] |
| 10804 | Thoughts have a natural order, to which human thinking is drawn [Frege, by Yablo] |
| 8251 | The logical space of reasons is a natural phenomenon, and it is the realm of freedom [McDowell] |
| 3651 | Perceiving necessary connections is the essence of reasoning [Bonjour] |