| Disambiguation | This page deals with the general use of the verb. For the special use of intelligere in formal definitions see pp1d01 intelligo, est NOT intelligere NOT esse, dari.html |
| Meaning | Understand. Intelligere is ony of many types of operation of the mind (cogitatio-operatio): the special type of conceiving an adequate idea. Conceiving an inadequate idea is NOT intelligere but a weaker type of cogitatio-operatio called imaginatio. "Weaker type" means: to understand you need to be able to imagine but not vice versa. In English one can say one understood something "wrongly", not so with intelligere in Ethica. The mental operation of imagination can produce both true and false ideas. Intellectus actu is a type of cogitatio-operatio and called passive in {1p31} (see its quote below). This is puzzling since intelligere as conceiving an adequate idea {3p58} and its quote below} is called active. |
| Subsets (kinds) | Intellectus actu finitus^infinitus |
| Mantras [what is] | amor Dei intellectualis |
| Related concepts | All other types of cogitatio-operatio, including will and all emotions |
| First Occurrence | [geomap] |
| NOT linked: | intelligo where used as definition connector (per ...intelligo...) is linked to pp1d01 intelligo, est |
| {1d04 attributus} ... first use of intellectus: whatever it is, it can perceive the essence of substance ... | |
| ... By attribute, I mean that which the intellect perceives as constituting the essence of substance. | ... Per attributum intelligo id quod intellectus de substantia percipit tanquam ejusdem essentiam constituens. |
| {1a05 commune intelligi} ... reveals how intelligere and concipere are logically related ... | |
| ... Things which have nothing in common cannot be understood, the one by means of the other; the conception of one does not involve the conception of the other. | ... quae nihil commune cum se invicem habent, etiam per se invicem intelligi non possunt sive [mng-eqv] conceptus unius alterius conceptumnon involvit. |
| {1p03 nihil commune non causa} ... a proposition about res (things): causation logically requires the possibility of understanding ... | |
| ... one cannot be apprehended by means of the other ... therefore, one cannot be the cause of the other ... | ... nec per se invicem possunt intelligi adeoque ... una alterius causa esse non potest ... |
| {1p16 infinita infinitis modis sequi} ... intellectus infinitus introduced ... | |
| ... From the necessity of the divine nature must follow an infinite number of things in infinite ways-that is, all things which can fall within the sphere of infinite intellect ... | ... Ex necessitate divinae naturae infinita infinitis modis (hoc est omnia quae sub intellectum infinitum cadere possunt) sequi debent. |
| ... as the divine nature has absolutely infinite attributes ... of which each expresses infinite essence after its kind, it follows that from the necessity of its nature an infinite number of things (that is, everything which can fall within the sphere of an infinite intellect) must necessarily follow ... | ... natura divina infinita absolute attributa habeat ... quorum etiam unumquodque infinitam essentiam in suo genere exprimit, ex ejusdem ergo necessitate infinita infinitis modis (hoc est omnia quae sub intellectum infinitum cadere possunt) necessario sequi debent ... |
| {1p16c1 intellectum infinitum} ... more about intellectus infinitus ... | |
| ... God is the efficient cause of all things that can fall within the sphere of an infinite intellect. | .... Deum omnium rerum quae sub intellectum infinitum cadere possunt, esse causam efficientem. |
| {1p30 Intellectus comprehendere} ... introduces Intellectus actu finitus aut actu infinitus ... | |
| ... Intellect, in function (actu) finite, or in function infinite, must comprehend the attributes of God and the modifications [Lat: affectiones] of God, and nothing else. | ... Intellectus actu finitus aut [excl exh] actu infinitus Dei attributa Deique affectiones comprehendere debet et nihil aliud. |
| {1p31 Intellectus naturatam naturantem} ... Intellectus actu is a mode of the attribute of thought, a "modus cogitandi", among others like amor, cupiditas, and other passions-emotions {3d03 affectu}. Puzzling: elsewhere intelligere is an active affections see {3p58}. intellectus actu is not action but passion ... | |
| ...The intellect in function, whether finite or infinite, just like will, desire, love, &c., should be referred to passive nature and not to active nature. | ... Intellectus actu sive [excl exh] is finitus sit sive [excl exh] infinitus, ut et voluntas, cupiditas, amor etc. ad Naturam naturatam, non vero ad naturantem referri debent. |
| ... intellect ... a certain mode of thinking, differing from other modes, such as love, desire, &c. ... must ... be referred to nature passive rather than to nature active, as must also the other modes of thinking... | ... intellectum enim ... certum tantum modum cogitandi, qui modus ab aliis scilicet cupiditate, amore, etc. ... concipi debet ut sine ipso nec esse nec concipi possit ... ad Naturam naturatam, non vero naturantem referri debet ut etiam reliqui modi cogitandi ... |
| {2p11c mens partem infiniti intellectus Dei} ... the human mind is a piece of intellect of God (= natura-sense 2 = substance) ... | |
| ... the human mind is part of the infinite intellect of God; thus when we say, that the human mind perceives this or that, we make the assertion, that God has this or that idea, not in so far as he is infinite, but in so far as he is displayed through the nature of the human mind ... | ... mentem humanam partem esse infiniti intellectus Dei ac proinde cum dicimus mentem humanam hoc vel illud percipere, nihil aliud dicimus quam quod Deus non quatenus infinitus est sed quatenus per naturam humanae mentis explicatur ... |
| {2p49c Voluntas intellectus idem} ... based on {2p49} ... it follows: since intelligere is always actio, will must be always actio ... and since will is never free, intelligere can never be free ... | |
| ... Will and understanding are one and the same. | ... {2p49}: Voluntas et intellectus unum et idem sunt. |
| {3d01 (causa) adaequata^inadaequata, partiale} ... from which can be seen that intelligere is by its meaning clare et distincte but percipere is not ... | |
| ... By an adequate cause, I mean a cause through which its effect can be clearly and distinctly perceived. By an inadequate or partial cause, I mean a cause through which, by itself, its effect cannot be understood ... | ... Causam adaequatam appello eam cujus effectus potest clare et distincte per eandem percipi. Inadaequatam autem seu [mng-eqv] partialem illam voco cujus effectus per ipsam solam intelligi nequit. |
| {3p01 mens agit patitur ideas} ... but despite intellectus being a passion {1p31} above, the mind is active in as far as it has adequate ideas, which means it has understood (not using the term intelligere here but see below quote of {3p58}) ... | |
| ... Our mind is in certain cases active, and in certain cases passive. In so far as it has adequate ideas it is necessarily active, and in so far as it has inadequate ideas, it is necessarily passive. | ... Mens nostra quaedam agit, quaedam vero patitur nempe quatenus adaequatas habet ideas eatenus quaedam necessario agit et quatenus ideas habet inadaequatas eatenus necessario quaedam patitur. |
| {3p58 affectus dantur agimus} ... conceiving an adequate idea (intelligere) is a case where pleasure and desire are no passions but actions ... | |
| ... Besides the pleasure and desire that are passivities or passions, there are other types of the emotions of pleasure and desire, which are attributable to us in so far as we are active ... | ... Praeter laetitiam et cupiditatem quae passiones sunt, alii laetitiae et cupiditatis affectus dantur qui ad nos quatenus agimus, referuntur ... |
| ... in so far as it conceives adequate ideas; that is, in so far as it is active ... | ... quatenus ideas adaequatas concipit hoc est (per propositionem 1 hujus {3p01}) quatenus agit ... |
| {4p26 ex ratione est intelligere} ... understanding is ratio ... | |
| ... the essence of reason is nought else but our mind, in so far as it clearly and distinctly understands ... therefore ...whatsoever we endeavour in obedience to reason is nothing else but to understand ... | ... rationis essentia nihil aliud est quam mens nostra quatenus clare et distincte intelligit ... Ergo ... quicquid ex ratione conamur, nihil aliud est quam intelligere ... |
| {4p27 scimus intelligendum conducit} ... the power of understanding is the sole criterion for good and evil ... | |
| ... We know nothing to be certainly good or evil, save such things as really conduce to understanding, or such as are able to hinder us from understanding. | ... Nihil certo scimus bonum aut [excl non-exh] malum esse nisi id quod ad intelligendum revera conducit vel [excl non-exh] quod impedire potest quominus intelligamus. |
| {4p28 Summum mentis bonum Dei} ... "seu" is [non-excl non-exh] , since, unlike cognoscere, intelligere is by its meaning in Ethica always adequate ... | |
| ... to understand or to know ... | ... intelligere seu [non-excl non-exh] cognoscere ... |
| {4p36 Summum bonum} ... summum bonum is intelligere ... | |
| ... To act virtuously is to act in obedience with reason ... and whatsoever we endeavour to do in obedience to reason is to understand ... | ... Ex virtute agere est ex ductu rationis agere ... et quicquid ex ratione conamur agere, est intelligere ... |
| 5praef POTENTIA INTELLECTUS LIBERTATE ... Ethica does not advize you how to improve your understanding. That is the task of logic. Neither are you told how to keep up your body. That is the task of medicine ... Ethica is solely about the power of reason ... | |
| It is no part of my design to point out the method and means whereby the understanding may be perfected, nor to show the skill whereby the body may be so tended, as to be capable of the due performance of its functions. The latter question lies in the province of Medicine, the former in the province of Logic. Here, therefore, I repeat, I shall treat only of the power of the mind, or of reason; and I shall mainly show the extent and nature of its dominion over the emotions, for their control and moderation ... | Quomodo autem et qua via debeat intellectus perfici et qua deinde arte corpus sit curandum ut possit suo officio recte fungi, huc non pertinet; hoc enim ad medicinam, illud autem ad logicam spectat. Hic igitur ut dixi de sola mentis seu rationis potentia agam et ante omnia quantum et quale imperium in affectus habeat ad eosdem coercendum et moderandum ostendam ... |
| {5p06 mens intelligit majorem potentiam} ... power over emotions depends on understanding ("as necessary" is redundant, pleonastic use of necessarius) ... | |
| ...The mind has greater power over the emotions and is less subject thereto, in so far as it understands all things as necessary. | ... quatenus mens res omnes ut necessarias intelligit eatenus majorem in affectus potentiam habet seu [mng-eqv] minus ab iisdem patitur. |
| {5p10 potestatem ordinandi et concatenandi} ... rational fencing against bad emotions allows for the Great Inversion: the mind not modified by passive perception of affections of the body, but the body actively modified by the mind using its acquired understanding ... note the explicit reference to {2p07}'s ordo et connexio ... but both inverse-active (ordinare et concatenare) and straight-passive (percipere) interaction between body (attribute of extension) and mind (attribute of thought) involve causation between attributes, thus outside the range of {2p07} ... [more about limits to the scope of {2p07}] | |
| ... So long as we are not assailed by emotions contrary to our nature, we have the power of arranging and associating the modifications [Lat: affectiones] of our body according to the intellectual order. | ... Quamdiu affectibus qui nostrae naturae sunt contrarii, non conflictamur tamdiu potestatem habemus ordinandi et concatenandi corporis affectiones secundum ordinem ad intellectum. |
| {5p15 Qui se intelligit Deum amatae} ... understanding yourself makes you love God = natura-sense 2 = substance ... | |
| ... He who ... understands himself ... loves God ... | ... Qui se ... intelligit, Deum amatae ... |
| {5p24 res singulares intelligimus Deum} ... understanding particular things is understanding God = natura-sense 2 = substance ... | |
| ...The more we understand particular things, the more do we understand God. | ... Quo magis res singulares intelligimus eo magis Deum intelligimus. |
| {5p25 Summus est tertio cognitionis genere} | |
| ... The highest endeavour of the mind, and the highest virtue is to understand things by the third kind of knowledge. | ... Summus mentis conatus summaque virtus est res intelligere tertio cognitionis genere. |
| Equivalence claims involving intelligere, intellectus | ||
| {1d04} [notes] | 1. attribute 2. that which the intellect perceives as constituting the essence of substance. | 1. attributum 2. id quod intellectus de substantia percipit tanquam ejusdem essentiam constituens. |
| {1a05} | [About things] 1. which have nothing in common 2. [which] cannot be understood, the one by means of the other 3. the conception of one does not involve the conception of the other. | [De reis] 1. Quae ihil commune cum se invicem habent 2. per se invicem intelligi non possunt 3. conceptus unius alterius conceptum non involvit. |
| {3d01} [notes] | [About causes] 1. inadequate 2. partial 3. through which, by itself, its effect cannot be understood. | [De causis] 1. Inadaequatam 2. partialem 3. illam cujus effectus per ipsam solam intelligi nequit. |
| {3d02} [notes] | 1. acting 2. anything takes place, either within us or externally to us, whereof we are the adequate cause 3. through our nature something takes place within us or externally to us, which can through our nature alone be clearly and distinctly understood. | 1. agere 2. aliquid in nobis aut [excl exh] extra nos fit cujus adaequata sumus causa 3. ex nostra natura aliquid in nobis aut [excl exh] extra nos sequitur quod per eandem solam potest clare et distincte intelligi. |
| {3p58} | 1. understanding 2. acting | 1. intelligimus 2. agimus |
|
{4d08}
[notes defective] |
1. virtue 2. power 2. a man's nature or essence, in so far as it has the power of effecting what can only be understood by the laws of that nature. | 1. virtutem 2. potentiam 3. ipsa hominis essentia seu [mng eqv] natura quatenus potestatem habet quaedam efficiendi quae per solas ipsius naturae leges possunt intelligi. |
| {4p53} | 1. understands himself 2. his power of activity is aided. | 1. se intelligit 2. ipsius agendi potentia juvatur. |
| {5p25} | 1. [the mind's highest] virtue 2 ... power ... 3 ... nature ... 4. ... endeavour ... 5. understand things by the third kind of knowledge. | 1. summa mentis virtus 2. [summa] mentis potentia. 3. [summa mentis] natura 4. summus conatus 5. res intelligere tertio cognitionis genere |
| {5p27} | [It is the mind's highest virtue] 1. to know God 2. to understand things by the third kind of knowledge | [Summa mentis virtus est] 1. Deum cognoscere 2. res tertio cognitionis genere intelligere |