Axiom Four of Part Two of the Ethics Deserves Paparazzi

The fourth axiom of Part Two of the Ethics, which states “Nos corpus quoddam multis modis affici sentimus” (G 2:86), has not sparked the interest of commentators as other axioms and propositions have. In this chapter, I challenge this neglectful attitude and offer reasons for holding this axiom to be central to Spinoza’s project. I do so by highlighting the connection between this axiom and other propositions in the Ethics. In particular, I discuss its relation to what seems to be its parallel axiom, E2a2. Subsequently, I highlight its connection to E1p28 and E3p6. Likewise, I discuss E2p13—the only proposition that directly alludes to E2a4. I conclude by noting the tacit connection between E2a4 and E2p2. My main aim is to present these various connections and offer their cumulative effect as suggestive of this axiom’s central and underappreciated role in Spinoza’s metaphysics and epistemology.