This statement of Spinoza is reaching quite farly. We tend to think that the will and intellect are two completely different things, but in fact the more I think about it the more I realize that man and the development of his intelligence might coincide with the development of his will. And so man distincts from animals by this individual not by instinct but by intelligence driven will.
Would You like to comment on this?
When the ancestors of man took their first
decision based on their own will, not out of instinct and habits of the group,
then the planet Earth has been recognized by the spiritual world as a
spiritual-evolutionary planet. The dignity of will was born * and that could
only be developed by individual intelligence.
But Spinoza's too easy to say that intellect
and will are the same. They are certainly not. Earthly evolution shows many
examples of primitive bloodlust and evil-intelligent expressions of will.
Apparently, too much.
But Spinoza has a point with regard to the
higher will.
In addition, the following equation might help.The will can be directed by the intellect as strength comes from muscles and water will cook by fire. The intellect is then the cause, one sees something, one understands something, one realizes something, different from the other creatures in the area, and then the will will follow to do something with that insight. The one can not exist without the other. Without the will one lives in an ivory tower and the intelligence is useless. Without intellect the will is not more than action-driven instinct. But together they are the realizers of human destiny and the builders of future spiritual worlds.
So you have a point that they walk part of the
way as you call it. Should walk part of the way, I should say. If not so, it will bring evolutionary
noise.
But Spinoza shows great insight by stating that
they together are very important, almost indispensable to each other and in the
spiritual human development they are actually one and the same.Spinoza is blessed.
My blessings to you all
* See: the
urantiaboek, p. 710
Nr. 361
