Abstract

Do we understand the emotions? (Sartre and Spinoza) Can the difficulties of the Spinozian theory of affects be explained by the use of the tool of phenomenology, employed by Sartre in Esquisse d'une Theorie des Emotions? The similarity of the method and views used in Ethics and Esquisse... suggests such an attempt is possible. Endeavours corresponding to the phenomenological reductions were made in Ethics, Spinoza, similarily to Husserl and Sartre, accepts the intuition and direct insight into the essence of things as the key to cognition. The article summarises the base common points of both theories. A complying answer of Sartre to the question in the title seems to result from a not precise epoche reduction, whereas the Spinoza's answer is directly incorporated into his theory.