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Baruch Spinoza
Ethics, Émile Saisset’s French Translation Section section-0183
Section 183 of 300
Canonical reference section-0183
French
Émile Saisset or Paul Janet
La reconnaissance ou gratitude est ce désir ou ce mouvement d’amour par lequel nous nous efforçons de faire du bien à celui qu’un même sentiment d’amour a porté à nous en faire. (Voy. la Propos. 39 et le Schol. de la Propos. 41, partie 3.).
La bienveillance est le désir de faire du bien à celui qui nous inspire de la pitié. (Voy. le Schol. de la Propos. 27, partie 3.).
La colère est le désir qui nous excite à faire du mal à celui que nous haïssons (Voy. le Schol. de la Propos. 39.).
La vengeance est ce désir qui nous excite par une haine réciproque à faire du mal à celui qui nous a causé quelque dommage. (Voy. le Corollaire 2 de la Propos. 40, partie 3, avec son Scholie.).
La cruauté ou férocité est ce désir qui nous porte à faire du mal à celui que nous aimons et qui nous inspire de la pitié.
Explication : A la cruauté on oppose la clémence, qui n’est point une affection passive de l’âme, mais la puissance par laquelle l’homme modère sa haine et sa vengeance.
La crainte est un désir d’éviter par un moindre mal un mal plus grand que nous redoutons. (Voyez le Scholie de la propos. 39, partie 3.).
L’audace est ce désir qui porte un homme à braver, pour accomplir une action, un danger redouté par ses égaux.
La pusillanimité consiste en ce que le désir d’un homme est surmonté en lui par la crainte d’un danger que ses égaux osent braver.
Explication : La pusillanimité n’est donc que la crainte d’un mal qui généralement n’est pas redouté. C’est pourquoi je ne rapporte pas cette passion au désir. J’ai pourtant voulu l’expliquer ici, parce qu’elle est opposée, en tant qu’on a égard au désir, à la passion de l’audace.
La consternation est la passion de celui chez qui le désir d’éviter un mal est empêché par l’étonnement où le jette le mal qu’il redoute.
English AI-generated translation, non-official
Codex gpt-5.6-sol · Non-official working translation · 2026-09-11
Recognition or gratitude is that desire or movement of love by which we endeavor to do good to one who has been moved by the same feeling of love to do good to us. (See Prop. 39 and the Schol. to Prop. 41, Part 3.)
Benevolence is the desire to do good to one who inspires pity in us. (See the Schol. to Prop. 27, Part 3.)
Anger is the desire that incites us to harm one whom we hate. (See the Schol. to Prop. 39.)
Vengeance is the desire that incites us, through reciprocal hatred, to harm one who has caused us some injury. (See Corollary 2 to Prop. 40, Part 3, with its Scholium.)
Cruelty or ferocity is the desire that leads us to harm one whom we love and who inspires pity in us.
Explanation: Cruelty is opposed by clemency, which is not a passive affection of the mind, but the power by which a man moderates his hatred and vengeance.
Timidity is a desire to avoid, by means of a lesser evil, a greater evil which we fear. (See the Schol. to Prop. 39, Part 3.)
Boldness is the desire that leads a man, in order to perform an action, to brave a danger feared by his equals.
Cowardice consists in a man's desire being overcome within him by fear of a danger which his equals dare to brave.
Explanation: Cowardice is therefore only fear of an evil that is not generally feared. For this reason I do not relate this passion to desire. Nevertheless, I wished to explain it here because, insofar as regard is had to desire, it is opposed to the passion of boldness.
Consternation is the passion of a person in whom the desire to avoid an evil is hindered by the astonishment into which the evil he fears casts him.
Concepts in this passage
Adequate idea
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Anger
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Attribute
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Care of the soul
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Conatus
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Courage
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Desire
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Family
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Fear
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Freedom
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Intellectual love of God
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Knowledge
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Love
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Messiah
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Mode
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Necessity
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Power to act
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Ren, humaneness
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Ressentiment
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Sin
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