Abstract

In this dissertation, it is argued that Spinoza's assertion of the mind's eternity is not an ad hoc addendum to his metaphysics but rather its necessary culmination. The first four chapters examine the metaphysical foundations of human immortality, tracing the emanative process from God to singular things and addressing key issues such as the God/attribute distinction, the nature of eternity, the status of universals, and the relation between essence and existence. The last chapter develops an interpretation of the mind's eternity with both ontological and epistemological aspects: despite their finite duration, all human minds exist timelessly as a necessary part of the order of nature, but only the few who are aware of their own timeless existence enjoy an eternal self-consciousness and beatitude