Oded Schechter

This chapter traces the development of Spinoza’s theory of the three (or four) kinds of cognition. While previous scholars have paid some attention to the minor changes in the description of each of the kinds of cognition, this chapter goes further, and shows that the nature and function of the threefold distinction changes from one work to another. The _Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect_ relies on the distinction as part of its attempt to find the _proper method_ for philosophizing. In the _Korte Verhandeling_ the kinds of cognition are presented as different _manners of conduct_, while in the _Ethics_ the three kinds of cognition constitute distinct _manners of existence_. Relying on this crucial observation, the chapter explains Spinoza’s enigmatic claims in the conclusion of the _Ethics_ about the eternity of our minds.