Spinoza as Educator: From eudaimonistic ethics to an empowering and liberating pedagogy

Abstract

Although Spinoza's formative influence on the cultural ideals of the West is widely recognized, especially with reference to liberal democracy, secular humanism, and naturalistic ethics, little has been written about the educational implications of his philosophy. This article explores the pedagogical tenets that are implicit in Spinoza's writings. I argue (1) that Spinoza's ethics is eudaimonistic , aiming at self-affirmation, full humanity and wellbeing; (2) that the flourishing of individuals depends on their personal resources, namely, their conatus , power, vitality or capacity to act from their own inner natures; and (3) that the combination of the Spinozian conceptions of humanism, liberal democracy, eudaimonistic ethics, and the enlightened and sovereign individual constitute together the grounds for a comprehensive empowering and liberating pedagogy.By conventional disciplinary standards, Spinoza is rightfully not considered an educator: he was not a teacher by profession, as a philosopher he never wrote a treatise on education, and one can hardly find references to his writings in academic courses on the history and philosophy of education. Nevertheless, by 'softer' standards or a looser usage of language, Spinoza is often regarded as one of the greatest educators of mankind. Very much like Moses and Buddha, Confucius and he belongs to a small and exclusive group of prophets, philosophers and scientists that have created and shaped the major cultural categories by means of which people perceive reality and give meaning and value to their experiences. 1 Spinoza's reluctance-conscious or unconscious-to deal with educational topics in his writings is perplexing. Because it has been customary in the history of philosophy for discussions of educational matters to develop from and follow discussions of metaphysical, epistemological and ethical issues, it strikes us as quite odd that Spinoza's ethical discourse does not extend its focus to matters of educational

Student behaviour, motivation and the potential of attachment‐aware schools to redefine the landscape

“…Others (cf. Aloni, ; Curren, ; Spratt, ) have found connections in Aristotle's view of ‘eudaimonism’, or ‘flourishing’, to more child‐centred approaches, based on notions such as justice, development of character and wellbeing. While it would be fascinating to trace the development of such positions across time and place, that is beyond the purposes of this discussion.…”

Educating for Immortality: Spinoza and the Pedagogy of Gradual Existence

“…In order to tackle this question, I believe that it is reasonable to dwell on the fact that education, for Spinoza, is ultimately about the cultivation of the potential that lies dormant in each individual, so that a person may live a happier life as a result of understanding, more adequately, their place in the natural world. Accordingly, Aloni suggests that: ‘Spinoza's pedagogical drive, like Zarathustra's, originates from an overflowing spiritual existence and a strong urge to actualize the vitality, wisdom and beauty which exists in most people only as a potential’ (2008, p. 524). The challenge, then, becomes one of overcoming the many obstacles that prevent a person from developing their potential.…”

“…Unlike such Enlightenment philosophers as Hobbes or Rousseau, Spinoza never actually wrote a philosophy of education per se (Aloni, ). He did, however, in his Ethics , write a philosophy of self‐improvement that would be difficult to read as anything other than deeply educational at heart.…”

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“…2 Though Spinoza is famously explicit in saying the model is 'difficult and rare' to achieve, it still is an achievable goal and not merely an optimal ethical placeholder (5P42S). 3 While Spinoza claims that becoming the free person is a rare but achievable goal, he also seems to claim that it is one achievable by anyone who sets themselves toward it: "The greatest good of those who seek virtue is common to all, and can be enjoyed by all 1 This is seen in the disparate interpretations in Aloni (2008), Curley (1973), Garrett (1996) and Rosenthal (2001)., Curley likens Spinoza's system to a sort of deontology (although he uses the term hortatory ethic) and Garrett makes the claim that his work can align with a sort of deontology, consequentialism, emotivism and virtue ethics. Others see that Spinoza's work belongs to virtue ethics (Rosenthal) or a eudaimonistic ethical theory (Aloni).…”