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Borges and Spinoza
If the Ethics was a body

Borges and Spinoza

Dunamis
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2 of 2 people found this post helpful Posted 05/07/08 - 09:33 AM: Subject: Borges and Spinoza	#1
It is rare that a poet is able to analyze a philosopher to a greater degree than commentators can, especially it would seem a philosopher so un-poetic as Spinoza. And that it is done by a minor poet, a poet who does not even consider himself as one is surprising. In the last days I have thought about my long standing intution that Spinoza's lens grinding lead to substantive influences on his his very idea of what an Idea is...that is, how he might conceive of an Idea in a way fundamentally different than Descartes did. I realize that this notion must have come from my long ago reading of Borges' sonnet on Spinoza, one which equates his grinding of lenses which his polishing of propositions. Here is the poem and a literal translation for those interested: Spinoza Las traslúcidas manos del judío labran en la penumbra los cristales y la tarde que muere es miedo y frío. (Las tardes a las tardes son iguales.) Las manos y el espacio de jacinto que palidece en el confín del Ghetto casi no existen para el hombre quieto que está soñando un claro laberinto. No lo turba la fama, ese reflejo de sueños en el sueño de otro espejo, ni el temeroso amor de las doncellas. Libre de la metáfora y del mito labra un arduo cristal: el infinito mapa de Aquel que es todas Sus estrellas. Spinoza The translucent hands of the Jew Work in the penumbra, crystals & the evening, dying, is dread & chill. (Evenings to evenings are equal.) The hands & space of hyacinth Waning in the confines of the Ghetto Almost do not exist for the man so quiet Who is dreaming a clear labyrinth. He's not perturbed by fame, that reflection Of dreams in the dream of another mirror, Nor by the timorous love of maidens. Free from metaphor & myth He works a hard crystal: the Infinite Map of That which totals His stars. This is of course more than an honorary poem, it is a meditation, and a meditation by one of the greater literary/philosophical minds of the century. What is most remarkable about it is the way that Borges bridges the historic Spinoza to the Infinite Spinoza, through the act of lens grinding. Spinoza, in the very materiality of his act, the grinding of a hard, difficult crystal, somehow escapes history, yet in a personal sense. It is a paradox, and Borges, the lover of paradoxes, grasps this nexus point with tremendous subtlety. What Borges said of this poem was this: In that sonnet, I refer specifically to the philosopher Spinoza. He is polishing crystal lenses and is polishing a rather vast crystal philosophy of the universe. I think we might consider those tasks parallel. Spinoza is polishing his lenses, Spinoza is polishing vast diamonds, his ethics. It would seem that Spinoza would ultimately agree with the notion that his Ethics was a vast diamond(s), a tremendous lens which he worked on for over decade. He would enjoy the idea that the work itself is a materiality, (his ontology demands it), a materiality which we too use, in combination with our own materiality. This is a physicality of idea that necessitates mutuality. I am not sure, but I believe that Borges wrote this sonnet when he was losing his vision, what would seem like a terrible loss. Here, the evening falls, and the hands become even more physical, and even less confined. If Spinoza argues for a liberation, it would seem to be a liberation which understands freedom to be the most material of things, and his Ethics to be material construction. The interal parodoxes of such an aim, the clarity of its labyrinth, are the things which make it possible. Edited by Dunamis on 05/09/08 - 07:01 AM
_____________________ Tractatus theologico-politicus [is a] work forged in Hell by a renegade Jew and the Devil and issued with the knowledge of Mynheer Jan de Witt. - Church Council of Amsterdam If no man ever thinks alone, then we might say that to know really is to think ever less by oneself - Balibar

holyjames
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Posted 05/07/08 - 11:30 AM:	#2
This is a fascinating post. I just picked up Labyrinths this week and am reading it for the first time. What a discovery! How would his work on dream and dissonance fit in with Spinoza? The world as a dream within a dream and his implication of sacred amazement.

Dunamis
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Posted 05/07/08 - 01:49 PM:	#3
holyjames wrote: This is a fascinating post. I just picked up Labyrinths this week and am reading it for the first time. What a discovery! How would his work on dream and dissonance fit in with Spinoza? The world as a dream within a dream and his implication of sacred amazement. I'm not familiar with his dream and dissonance thoughts, so I can't really answer. But certainly the dream within the dream is functioning within the poem, and he seems to suggest that Spinoza is not caught within such a net, somehow. (Though in conversation he specifically states that the poem is making Spinoza's beliefs clear and not necessarily his own.) (Good Luck with Borges, he is amazing.)
_____________________ Tractatus theologico-politicus [is a] work forged in Hell by a renegade Jew and the Devil and issued with the knowledge of Mynheer Jan de Witt. - Church Council of Amsterdam If no man ever thinks alone, then we might say that to know really is to think ever less by oneself - Balibar

quickly
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Posted 05/07/08 - 02:01 PM:	#4
I'm not familiar enough, beyond a fleeting introduction to philosophy class, to comment on Spinoza; but Borges wrote another poem on Spinoza. Either the poem isn't as well balanced as the one you posted, or the translator didn't capture its impact. However, the last two lines, to me at least, are particularly haunting - that notion of being granted the love. Anyways, for what it's worth... Baruch Spinoza Jorge Luis Borges A haze of gold, the Occident lights up The window. Now, the assiduous manuscript Is waiting, weighed down with the infinite. Someone is building God in a dark cup. A man engenders God. He is a Jew. With saddened eyes and lemon-colored skin; Time carries him the way a leaf, dropped in A river, is borne off by waters to Its end. No matter. The magician moved Carves out his God with fine geometry; From his disease, from nothing, he's begun To construct God, using the word. No one Is granted such prodigious love as he: The love that has no hope of being loved.
_____________________ "Monsters cannot be announced. One cannot say: 'here are our monsters', without immediately turning the monsters into pets." -Jacques Derrida

Dunamis
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Posted 05/07/08 - 02:21 PM:	#5
Very cool. I will have to look up the Spanish. Do you know where you found that?
_____________________ Tractatus theologico-politicus [is a] work forged in Hell by a renegade Jew and the Devil and issued with the knowledge of Mynheer Jan de Witt. - Church Council of Amsterdam If no man ever thinks alone, then we might say that to know really is to think ever less by oneself - Balibar

quickly
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Posted 05/07/08 - 02:27 PM:	#6
I found it here, but it's also in Borges' Selected Works. I have it from a Borges' pocketbook I got a bookstore. Damn! I'm actually going to have to read some Spinoza now! (I have no idea where to find the Spanish, sorry.) [Edit: something's wierd with PF's hyperlinking, it won't show text past the first hyperlink. Here's autodidact's translation:http://www.autodidactproject.org/other/spinoza7-borges6.html Here's another: http://monkeymindonline.blogspot.com/2008/02/baru... ] Edited by quickly on 05/07/08 - 02:33 PM
_____________________ "Monsters cannot be announced. One cannot say: 'here are our monsters', without immediately turning the monsters into pets." -Jacques Derrida

Dunamis
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Posted 05/07/08 - 02:39 PM:	#7
Here, I found the Spanish: Baruch Spinoza Bruma de oro, el Occidente alumbra la ventana. El asiduo manuscrito aguarda, ya cargado de infinito. Alguien construye a Dios en la penumbra. Un hombre engendra a Dios. Es un judío de tristes ojos y de piel cetrina; lo lleva el tiempo como lleva el río una hoja en el agua que declina. No importa. El hechicero insiste y labra a Dios con geometría delicada; desde su enfermedad, desde su nada, sigue erigiendo a Dios con la palabra. El más pródigo amor le fue otorgado, el amor que no espera ser amado. A golden haze, the west glows Through the window. The assiduous manuscript Awaits, already laden with infinity. Someone is constructing God in the fading light A man is begetting God. He is a Jew With sad eyes and sallow skin; Time bears him along as a river bears A leaf on the downward flow. No matter. The wizard persists and fashions God with delicate geometry; Out of his infirmity, out of his nothing, He continues to erect God with the word. Love most prodigal was granted him, The love that never expects to be loved. Apparently Borges may have considered this an inferior poem. Inspired by your poem inclusion, here is an interesting essay on Borges and Spinoza which may spark comment or thought. "Spinoza in Borges' Looking Glass". Edited by Dunamis on 05/09/08 - 07:08 AM
_____________________ Tractatus theologico-politicus [is a] work forged in Hell by a renegade Jew and the Devil and issued with the knowledge of Mynheer Jan de Witt. - Church Council of Amsterdam If no man ever thinks alone, then we might say that to know really is to think ever less by oneself - Balibar

Dunamis
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Posted 05/07/08 - 02:41 PM:	#8
quickly wrote: I found it here, but it's also in Borges' Selected Works. I have it from a Borges' pocketbook I got a bookstore. Damn! I'm actually going to have to read some Spinoza now! (I have no idea where to find the Spanish, sorry.) [Edit: something's wierd with PF's hyperlinking, it won't show text past the first hyperlink. Here's autodidact's translation:http://www.autodidactproject.org/other/spinoza7-borges6.html Here's another: http://monkeymindonline.blogspot.com/2008/02/baru... ] Sorry, was posting at the same time. Very interesting.
_____________________ Tractatus theologico-politicus [is a] work forged in Hell by a renegade Jew and the Devil and issued with the knowledge of Mynheer Jan de Witt. - Church Council of Amsterdam If no man ever thinks alone, then we might say that to know really is to think ever less by oneself - Balibar

180 Proof
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Posted 05/07/08 - 03:24 PM:	#9
I lost this connection! It's been decades since I've read Borges and now I have a good reason to visit with this great poet again. Thanks again, Dunamis.
_____________________ If faith is irrational, then it is rational to dismiss "faith-based claims" out of hand. If faith is rational, then "faith-based claims" must be testable and/or sufficient -- but they are neither. If faith is a-rational, then "faith-based claims" are inexplicable and thus cannot explain anything.

Dunamis
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Posted 05/08/08 - 08:37 AM:	#10
180 Proof wrote: I lost this connection! It's been decades since I've read Borges and now I have a good reason to visit with this great poet again. Thanks again, Dunamis. When I have time I'll try to go over that essay posted, and consider more deeply how Spinoza's thought fits in with Borges' vision of mirrors and dream. If you find yourself formulating ideas in this line, please post them.
_____________________ Tractatus theologico-politicus [is a] work forged in Hell by a renegade Jew and the Devil and issued with the knowledge of Mynheer Jan de Witt. - Church Council of Amsterdam If no man ever thinks alone, then we might say that to know really is to think ever less by oneself - Balibar

BDSpinoza
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Posted 05/10/08 - 12:13 AM:	#11
I prefer Einstein's poem about Spinoza: "Zu Spinozas Ethik". Wie lieb ich diesen edlen Mann Mehr als ich mit Worten sagen kann. Doch fürcht' ich , dass er bleibt allein Mit seinem strahlenden Heiligenschein. So einen armen kleinen Wicht Den führst du zu der Freiheit nicht. Der amor dei lässt ihn kalt Das Leben zieht ihn mit Gewalt. Die Höhe bringt ihm nichts als Frost Vernunft ist für ihn schale Kost. Besitz und Weib und Ehr' und Haus Das füllt ihn von oben bis unten aus. Du Musst schon gütig mir verzeih'n Wenn hier mir fällt Münchhausen ein, Dem als Einzigen das Kunststück gedieh'n Sich am eigenen Zopf aus dem Sumpf zu zieh'n. Du denkst sein Beispiel zeiget uns eben Was diese Lehre dem Menschen kann geben. Vertraue nicht dem tröstlichen Schein: Zum Erhabenen muss man geboren sein. by Albert Einstein, written 1920 Albert Einstein Archive, 31-018 Which says something along the lines of: (not my translation, but I really should do one). How I love this noble man More than I can say with words. Still, I fear he remains alone With his shining halo. Such a poor small lad Whom you'll not lead to freedom The amor dei leaves him cold Mightily does this life attract him Loftiness offers him nothing but frost Reason for him is poor fare Property and wife and honor and house That fills him from top to bottom You'll kindly forgive me If Münchhausen here comes to mind Who alone mastered the trick Of pulling himself out of a swamp by his own pigtail You think his example would show us What this doctrine can give humankind Trust not the comforting façade One must be born sublime

Dunamis
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Posted 05/10/08 - 09:51 AM:	#12
I would ask, what does that have to do with what Borges thought of Spinoza? Or with the notion that the polishing of lenses is like the polishing of propositions, or of a work? Are you saying that this poem is a better poem than Borges' (it seems like a diddy almost in comparison to my ear), or is it expressing something more important about Spinoza, something Borges' missed? Is comparing Spinoza to Münchhausen and as having a pigtail somehow more revealing than saying that Spinoza was somehow mapping the infinite with his polished text? Is the idea that he he has a shining halo, all alone, somehow better or more convincing than seeing him alone, grinding lenses in the evening? You "prefer" Einstein's poem, why? Because it was writen by Einstein? Edited by Dunamis on 05/10/08 - 12:10 PM
_____________________ Tractatus theologico-politicus [is a] work forged in Hell by a renegade Jew and the Devil and issued with the knowledge of Mynheer Jan de Witt. - Church Council of Amsterdam If no man ever thinks alone, then we might say that to know really is to think ever less by oneself - Balibar

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