Self-definition of “I”

Abstract

How does one come to be a philosopher? Or, to put it more specifically, why did Baruch de Spinoza choose to become a philosopher, in spite of the many attractive opportunities bestowed upon him by destiny? For the answer to this question, the author ransacks the writings of the author himself and juxtaposes the opening pages of the Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect with certain passages from Ethics. This survey reveals that there is something in common between the two such different thinkers as Spinoza and Kierkegaard are on a first glance.