Spinoza's Ethics: III.P7 - Efforting

Conatus quo unaquæque res in suo esse perseverare conatur, nihil est præter ipsius rei actualem essentiam.

The efforting by which each and every thing tries to persevere to be in itself, is nothing other than the actual essence of the thing itself.

DEMONSTRATIO: Ex data cujuscunque rei essentia quædam necessario sequuntur (per propositionem 36 partis I) nec res aliud possunt quam id quod ex determinata earum natura necessario sequitur (per propositionem 29 partis I); quare cujuscunque rei potentia sive conatus quo ipsa vel sola vel cum aliis quidquam agit vel agere conatur hoc est (per propositionem 6 hujus) potentia sive conatus quo in suo esse perseverare conatur, nihil est præter ipsius rei datam sive actualem essentiam. Q.E.D.

From the given essence of whatsoever thing, certain things follow necessarily (by IP36) and no things are able to be something than that which follows necessarily from nature determining of them (by IP29); thus the power of whatsoever thing or the trying by which itself or alone or with others something acts or tries to act, that is (by IIIP6) the power or trying by which it tries to persevere in being in itself, is nothing other than the given or actual essence of the thing itself.

This word conatus implies some effort or attempt by a thing. This is not simply resting while the scratch on my arm heals. Instead, Spinoza is stating that things manifest their potentia as trying to persevere. This trying is the essence of the thing as it reflects the specific form of potentia which is the expressive force of substance or God. Prior to my study of Spinoza, I would have assumed that the formal essence or idea of the thing was the essence of the thing. However, the essence of the thing is the manifestation of the potentia, which is the contatus.