I had toyed with the idea of labelling what is now “Desire 1” Positive Desires, “Desire 2” Neutral Desires, and “Desire 3” Negative Desires, but drew back because
| Desire 1 | Desire 2 | Desire 3 |
| Longing is a desire, or appetite, to possess something which is encouraged by the memory of that thing, and at the same time restrained by the memory of other things which exclude the existence of the thing wanted…Longing is really a sadness which is opposed to that joy which arises from the absence of a thing we hate (P47S) (pp. 110, D XXXII) | Anger is a desire by which we are spurred, from hate, to do evil to one we hate. (See P39) (pp. 111, D XXXVI) | |
| Emulation is a desire for a thing which is generated in us because we imagine that others have the same desire. (pp. 110, D XXXIII) | Vengeance is a desire, by which, from reciprocal hate, we are roused to do evil to one who, from a like affect, has injured us. (See P40C and P40CS.) (pp. 111, D XXXVII) | |
| Thankfulness, or gratitude, is a desire, or eagerness of love by which we strive to benefit one who has benefited us from a like affect of love (P39 and P41S) (pp. 110, D XXXIV) | Cruelty, or severity, is a desire by which someone is roused to do evil to one whom we love or pity. (pp. 111, D XXXVIII) | |
| Benevolence is a desire to benefit one whom we pity (SeeP27S). (pp. 110, D XXXV) | Timidity is a desire to avoid a greater evil, which we fear, by a lesser one. (pp. 111, D XXXIX) | |
| Daring is a desire by which someone is spurred to do something dangerous which his equals fear to take on themselves. (pp. 111, D XL) | Consternation is attributed to one whose desire to avoid an evil is restrained by wonder at the evil he fears…is a species of cowardice. But because consternation arises from a double timidity, it can be more conveniently defined as a fear which keeps a man senseless or vacillating so that he cannot avert evil. (pp. 111, D XLII). | Cowardice is ascribed to one whose desire is restrained by timidity regarding a danger which his equals dare to take on themselves. (pp. 111, D XLI) |
| Human kindness, or courtesy, is a desire to do what pleases men and not do what displeases them. (pp. 111, D XLIII) | Ambition is an excessive desire for esteem. Exp: Ambition is a desire by which all the affects are encouraged and strengthened (by P27 and P31)…For as long as a man is bound by any desire, he must at the same time by bound by this one. (pp. 111, D XIV) | |
| No opposite to Gluttony in Spinoza’s view. | Gluttony is an immoderate desire for and love of eating. (pp. 111, D XLV) | |
| No opposite to Drunkeness in Spinoza’s view. | Drunkenness is an immoderate desire for and love of drinking. (pp. 111, D XLVI)
FG: Drunkenness decreases your power while giving you the idea that you’ve increased it. |
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| No opposite to Greed in Spinoza’s view. | Greed is an immoderate desire for and love of wealth. (pp. 111, D XLVII) | |
| No opposite to Lust in Spinoza’s view. | Lust is also a desire for and love joining one body to another. (pp. 112, D XLVIII) |
Spinoza & the Joy of Learning 