Gnothi Seauton

work by Geulincx

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June 29, 2026

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The phrase "Gnothi Seauton" is a Greek expression that translates to "know yourself". It is a philosophical imperative that has been echoed across various traditions, including the Latin "nosce te ipsum".1

Arnold Geulincx, a Flemish metaphysician, logician, and ethicist, wrote a work titled Gnothi Seauton (Know Thyself). This work, published posthumously in 1675 under his pseudonym Philaretus, presented his ethical theory. Geulincx's philosophy was influenced by René Descartes and later by Jansenism and Calvinism, emphasizing humility and the submission of the will to reason. He also developed the doctrine of occasionalism, suggesting that God is the true agent behind human actions.2

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Arnold Geulincx
…his six treatises on ethics, Gnothi Seauton (1675; “Know Thyself ”). As Philaretus, Geulincx accepted the progression in Cartesian metaphysics from doubt to knowledge and from knowledge to God and affirmed the dominant role of the will in forming judgments. Geulincx, however, aimed to submit the will to the authority…
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…his six treatises on ethics, Gnothi Seauton (1675; “Know Thyself ”). As Philaretus, Geulincx accepted the progression in Cartesian metaphysics from doubt to knowledge and from knowledge to God and affirmed the dominant role of the will in forming judgments. Geulincx, however, aimed to submit the will to the authority…
Read More