Spinoza's Ethics: II.P35

Falsitas consistit in cognitionis privatione quam ideæ inadæquatæ sive mutilatæ et confusæ involvunt.

Falsity consists of the privation of understanding which inadequate or mutilated and confused ideas involve.

DEMONSTRATIO: Nihil in ideis positivum datur quod falsitatis formam constituat (per propositionem 33 hujus); at falsitas in absoluta privatione consistere nequit (mentes enim, non corpora errare nec falli dicuntur) neque etiam in absoluta ignorantia; diversa enim sunt ignorare et errare; quare in cognitionis privatione quam rerum inadæquata cognitio sive ideæ inadæquatæ et confusæ involvunt, consistit. Q.E.D.

Nothing positive in ideas is given which constitutes the form of falsity (by IIP33); but falsity cannot consist in absolute privation (for minds, not bodies are said to wander and not be deceived) and not even in absolute ignorance; for to be ignorant and to be mistaken are different; thus it consists in the privation of understanding which inadequate understanding of things or inadequate and confused ideas involve.

SCHOLIUM: In scholio propositionis 17 hujus partis explicui qua ratione error in cognitionis privatione consistit sed ad uberiorem hujus rei explicationem exemplum dabo nempe falluntur homines quod se liberos esse putant, quæ opinio in hoc solo consistit quod suarum actionum sint conscii et ignari causarum a quibus determinantur. Hæc ergo est eorum libertatis idea quod suarum actionum nullam cognoscant causam. Nam quod aiunt humanas actiones a voluntate pendere, verba sunt quorum nullam habent ideam. Quid enim voluntas sit et quomodo moveat corpus, ignorant omnes; qui aliud jactant et animæ sedes et habitacula fingunt, vel risum vel nauseam movere solent. Sic cum solem intuemur, eum ducentos circiter pedes a nobis distare imaginamur, qui error in hac sola imaginatione non consistit sed in eo quod dum ipsum sic imaginamur, veram ejus distantiam et hujus imaginationis causam ignoramus. Nam tametsi postea cognoscamus eundem ultra 600 terræ diametros a nobis distare, ipsum nihilominus prope adesse imaginabimur; non enim solem adeo propinquum imaginamur propterea quod veram ejus distantiam ignoramus sed propterea quod affectio nostri corporis essentiam solis involvit quatenus ipsum corpus ab eodem afficitur.

In IIP17S, I have explained by what reason error consists in the privation of understanding but for a more fruitful explanation of this matter I give, of course, that men are deceived which think themselves to be free, which opinion consists in this alone which they are conscious of their actions and ignore of the causes by which they are determined. Therefore this is the idea of their liberty which they understand no cause of their actions. For they say that human actions follow from will, they are words of which they have no idea. For whatever will might be in which way it might move the body, all are ignorant; those who boast something else and imagine the seat and dwelling of the soul, they are accustomed to cause laughter or disgust. Thus, when we look at the sun, we imagine it about two hundred feet from us, which error does not consist in the imagination alone but in that which as long as we imagine thus, we are ignorant of the true distance and the cause of this imagination. For although we understand later that the same is more than 600 diameters of the earth away from us, nevertheless we imagine it to be near by; for we do not imagine the sun near to such a degree because we are ignorant of the true distance of it, but for the reason the affection of our body involves the essence of the sun insofar as the body itself is affected by the sun.