Spinoza's theory of emotions

Spinoza's doctrine of emotions is, according to many philosophers, at the heart of Spinozist philosophy. Since he developed his whole philosophy on an immanent and life-affirming plane, his doctrine of emotions derives from his desire to live on a conatus (the effort of beings to maintain their existence) basis. Although emotions were negated, scorned or looked down upon in the philosophies before and after him, Spinoza defined and examined emotions as objectively as possible in Ethica. Emotions are experienced in relation to influences, and they are changes in the individual's power to act. The fact that a person, who is an individual and also a social being, is constantly exposed to emotions determines his belief, thinking, and actions. Apart from the detailed analysis of emotions in Ethica, Spinoza's effort to inform about the functions of certain emotions is also seen in his other works, especially in the Theological-Political Treatise. In doing so, he examined emotions in an immanent sense in terms of the effects of increasing or decreasing the desire of beings to live without predicating them on a transcendental reference and subjecting them to a radical negation. This is not a moral treatise. Because Spinoza thinks that good and evil do not correspond to things or actions in nature. He interpreted the content of these concepts with benefit and harm. In other words, from Spinoza's point of view, an emotion is good to the extent that it contributes to the conatus efforts and the power to act and bad to the extent that it prevents or does not contribute to them. Due to this relationship, he treats feelings as a concrete reality. If all actions of people originate from emotions that increase or decrease people's desire to live, then the well-being of a person and a society consisting of people is possible with the correct understanding of the causality of emotions. Moreover, Spinoza's ideas about the nature of emotions are in harmony with neurobiology which is the new branch of science of today. This is one of the reasons that increase the interest in him. Spinoza studies are increasing worldwide, including our country, but when the international studies are examined, it is seen that Spinoza's interest in the teaching of feelings (single or comparative analysis of emotions) covers approximately the last ten years. This study, which can be considered as one of the new studies regarding the complete works of Spinoza in our country, investigates the meaning of "emotion/affect" and "emotion/affected" concepts in accordance with Spinoza's doctrine of feelings, and what kind of happiness and well-being this can turn into individually and socially depending on the correct understanding of the causality of the knowledge of emotions. Keywords: Emotion, Affect, Affected, Conatus, Power, Desire, Joy, Sorrow