The free man never acts fraudulently, but always in good faith.
Baruch Spinoza
Ethics · Part IV, proposition LXXII
Translated by R. H. M. Elwes. 1883. R. H. M. Elwes translation; “free” belongs to Spinoza’s account of life guided by reason.
For Spinoza, freedom involves being guided by reason rather than pushed around by passing impulses. In this proposition, good faith is part of that freedom. Deception may solve an immediate problem while leaving a person dependent on concealing it, repeating it, or managing other people's false impressions. The passage makes a demanding claim, and hard cases about safety and conflicting duties remain hard. In more ordinary circumstances, it invites a concrete test: could the terms of this promise or agreement be stated plainly? Honest limits can be uncomfortable to disclose, but they allow other people to make decisions on a sounder basis.
A question for today
Is there a promise that needs a clearer, more honest limit?
