Spinoza against melancholy: ‘A free man thinks of death least of all things’

Abstract

According to a tradition that goes back at least to Aristotle, melancholy is related to poetic genius and even to philosophical creativity. Against this tradition Spinoza argues that any form of sadness —including melancholy— diminishes our power to think. In this article I will examine the paradox concerning the productiveness or unproductiveness of melancholy starting from Spinoza's notion of this passion. I will attempt to show why Spinoza opposes the abovementioned tradition and also why he links it with a meditation on death.