conatus

Conatus is a Latin term meaning endeavor, effort, or striving. In philosophy, it refers to the intrinsic tendency of a thing to persevere in its being, a fundamental principle that explains how and why entities maintain their existence and develop their powers. The concept is used to describe both the persistence of physical bodies and the persistence of minds or thinking things, without presupposing a conscious goal or purpose.

In the work of Baruch Spinoza, conatus is a central feature of his metaphysics and psychology. He defines conatus as the essential striving by which a thing attempts to continue its existence. For physical bodies, this translates into a tendency to resist destruction and to preserve their being against impediments. For the human mind, the conatus appears as the striving of a thinking thing to persist in its existence, expressed as desire. Importantly, conatus is not a conscious decision but a natural inclination that can be strengthened or weakened by external conditions. Spinoza links the experience of joy with an increase in conatus (an enhanced power to act) and sadness with a decrease. Active conatus denotes effort arising from the thing’s own power, while passive conatus arises when external forces diminish or obstruct it.

The concept has been influential in discussions of motivation, emotion, and ethics, especially because it provides a non-teleological account of action: beings act to preserve themselves, and greater clarity or power can lead toward greater freedom. Outside Spinoza, conatus appears in scholastic and later philosophical contexts as a general description of living beings’ persistent tendencies, though its precise articulation remains most associated with Spinoza’s philosophy.