"Spinoza did not seek to found a sect, and he founded none"; yet all philosophy after him is permeated with his thought. - Benedictus de Spinoza

POTENCIA (potentia) Esencia y potencia son lo mismo, según consta, luego no cabe la distinción aristotélica entre acto y potencia, sino la afirmación del ser como una entidad activa y dinámica. Esto significa en Dios que se cumple o realiza su doble potencia absoluta de ser y pensar, a través de la acción de los innumerables modos finitos (E2P7C), los cuales, a su vez, desarrollan en diferente medida (siempre limitada) las aptitudes de su potencia esencial o conatus para afectar y ser afectados, es decir, para interactuar conforme a su naturaleza particular.

We literally understand, then, a thorough study and assimilation of all the scientific works of primary importance on which the knowledge of Marxist theory rests. We might use a striking formula of Spinoza's to represent this objective: Spinoza said that a science solely of conclusions is not a science, that a true science is a science of premisses (principles) and conclusions in the integral movement of the demonstration of their necessity.

It is sad and painful to see how even our great Neospinozists Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel are far from abiding always by it and frequently try to show that they surpass Spinoza. In their times many people have shared that opinion with them, but nowadays nobody believes it any more; Spinozism stands firm and their systems withstood against it like foam against rock. They have not refuted Spinozism, neither have they outdone it. Wherein they believed themselves to outdo Spinoza, therein they were in fact lagging far behind him, and fell down from the heights of inspiration to platitude—or, as Fichte has shown to be the case (in his Beiträgen zur Charakteristik der neueren Philosophie) with Schelling and Hegel, that it is already found in Spinoza and only insofar different as it is there much more clearly expressed, so that one does best reverting to the original if one wishes to continue the reading. To understand how it was possible after Spinoza and his clearness to represent Spinozism so unclearly as done by those Neospinozists, and Hegel among them (that amazing man who occasionally was so admirably clear), one must pay due attention to the fact that they came from Kant's school.