The Relative Motivational Force Of Different Emotions. In Propositions 2-7, Spinoza then outlines principles regarding the relative power of different emotions. He argues that the power of an emotion is determined not just by the power of the conatus of the individual experiencing the emotion, but also primarily by the power of the external causes that produce that emotion in the individual. Since human 31 Spinoza anchors this analysis primarily in his analysis of knowledge in Part II of the Ethics, and the analogy of the sun goes as far back as the Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect (TdIE). beings are infinitely limited in proportion to the forces of nature (Part IV, Axiom 1), we are very rarely the adequate causes of our actions, and the vast majority of our emotions are produced at least in part by external forces and frequently overpower us. In addition, Spinoza further demonstrates that an emotion can only be checked or destroyed by an opposite and more powerful emotion. He proves this by turning back to the principles of relative physical forces in Part II. Accordingly, just as an affection of the body can only be checked or destroyed by an opposite and stronger corporeal cause, by the principle of parallelism, an emotion can only be checked or destroyed by an opposite and stronger emotion. But Spinoza wants to show the interplay of power between knowledge and the emotions. That is how Spinoza will conceive of human inconstancy or weakness of will, and he establishes how this mechanism works in Propositions 8, 14, and 15.
