Major Dependency Chains

1. Foundation of Reality

Part I Definition 6 → Part I Proposition 7 → Part I Proposition 11 → Part I Proposition 14 → Part I Proposition 15 → Part I Proposition 16 → Part I Proposition 29

Result: Nature is sole necessary substance; all things determined by Nature’s necessity.

2. Mind-Body Relation

Part I Proposition 15 → Part II Proposition 1 → Part II Proposition 2 → Part II Proposition 7 → Part II Proposition 11 → Part II Proposition 13

Result: Mind and body are same thing expressed through thought and extension (parallelism).

3. Theory of Knowledge

Part II Proposition 7 → Part II Proposition 38 → Part II Proposition 40 → Part II Proposition 47 → Part IV Proposition 24 → Part V Proposition 25

Result: Adequate knowledge (common notions) leads to virtue and highest understanding.

4. Conatus to Ethics

Part I Proposition 36 → Part III Proposition 6 → Part III Proposition 7 → Part III Proposition 9 → Part IV Definition 1 → Part IV Proposition 18 → Part IV Proposition 24 → Part IV Proposition 35 → Part V Proposition 42

Result: Self-preservation (conatus) grounds naturalistic ethics; virtue is acting from reason.

5. Path to Freedom

Part I Proposition 29 → Part III Proposition 1 → Part III Proposition 3 → Part IV Proposition 4 → Part V Proposition 3 → Part V Proposition 6 → Part V Proposition 10 → Part V Proposition 15 → Part V Proposition 23 → Part V Proposition 32 → Part V Proposition 36 → Part V Proposition 42

Result: Understanding necessity achieves freedom; intellectual love of Nature is flourishing.