Philosophical Works · Chapter
LVI explained
This chapter defines and distinguishes the terms modes, qualities, and attributes in relation to substance.
What happens
This chapter defines and distinguishes the terms modes, qualities, and attributes in relation to substance. Modes are variations of substance that also determine its kind (qualities) or are considered simply as in the substance (attributes). It notes that in God, who is immutable, only attributes are proper, while in created things, constant features like existence and duration are called attributes rather than modes or qualities.
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Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it presents the precise moment of epistemological crisi…
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Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Mind-Body Dualism
The discussion of attributes versus modes in substances relates to the broader Cartesian framework distinguishing the essential attributes of mind (thought) and body (extension).
Characters to notice
Key passages
“And, indeed, we here understand by modes the same with what we elsewhere designate attributes or qualities.”
The terms modes, attributes, and qualities are used interchangeably in this context.
Clarifies the initial equivalence of these terms before distinguishing them.
“Accordingly, since God must be conceived as superior to change, it is not proper to say that there are modes or qualities in him, but simply attributes;”
Because God is unchanging, we should only speak of attributes in God, not modes or qualities.
Highlights the special case of God's immutability in the classification of properties.
