Freedom is the essential characteristic of human life, which is revealed based on the unity and interaction of its spiritual and material components. It consists of the ability of man to create and direct his being in accordance with the laws of the development of nature and intelligent life on earth. Only freedom renders a personality truly happy because it grants the human being the right to choose some alternative and permits them to feel confident and not depend on others. Thus, it is necessary to investigate how the views of Descartes and Spinoza affect the understanding of freedom.
The Influence of Spinoza’s Philosophy
In Spinoza’s “world,” man has no freedom of will; the human will be the manifestation of individual desires. The emergence of volition, in turn, is also conditioned and has reasons (De Spinoza, 2020) However, it is impossible to know all the causes, which creates the illusion of freedom. He indicated that only God is the source of freedom. Spinoza is quite clear on this point: “God alone is the free cause. Since he alone exists and acts according to his nature’s mere necessity, he alone is the free cause” (De Spinoza, 2020, p.9). At the same time, the philosopher notes that human is also not free, and all of them are determined by God. It appears to me that God gives power to man through his actions, depending on the causes of life. Therefore, God creates different circumstances, and a person chooses possible actions due to free will. Although, Spinoza specifies that love and the knowledge of God is the approach to freedom (De Spinoza, 2020). The acquisition of freedom by the unfree individual lies through a perfectly free God.
I agree that man’s desires and actions have reasons, but I do not accept that God is always in charge of the cause. It seems that God grants a person the right to control his life and perform specific actions, which is what it means to be free. For example, I often express my own opinions because certain situations are not acceptable to me. That is, I support preserving the planet and reasonable use of resources. I have consciously chosen this position without closeness to God, which is why it appears to me that a person is free independent of the will of God.
My Understanding of Descartes’ Concept
“The Passion of the Soul” by Descartes is one of the most distinguished creations of New Age psychological science. Its main feature is the combination of psychological and physiological approaches. In the psychological doctrine of the passions, Descartes introduces an essential element of physiology, that is, the affective states of the soul are tightly connected to physiological processes. Descartes asserts that “The chief action of all human passions is that they induce and set the human soul to desire what the passions prepare the body for” (Descartes, 1989, p.14). That is, their mission is to reconcile the reflexive actions of the body and the determination of the individual will.
The philosopher is optimistic about the potential of man, which confirms my thoughts that people are able to control their own actions and thoughts. Thus, Descartes believes that a person can have free will and action because they have a soul and a mind (Descartes, 1989). Accordingly, though they are derived from God, man can dispose of them himself according to his own needs and desires. It seems to me that Descartes’ views are similar to my understanding of individual freedom.
Conclusion
Therefore, the philosophers present two different views on the possibility of freedom for individuals. Spinoza believes that only by becoming closer to God will man attain independence. On the other hand, Descartes determines that when God endowed the soul and the body, he granted it such a characteristic as freedom. Therefore, it appears to me that it can be claimed that freedom is inherent in human nature and that a person manages and develops it independently.
References
Descartes, R. (1989). Passions of the soul. Hackett Publishing.
De Spinoza, B. (2020). Spinoza’s ethics. Princeton University Press.