Spinoza on Why We Rejoice at the Misfortune of Others

Admit it: the good fortune of others is sometimes hard to bear.

Envy is hatred, insofar as it so affects a man that he is pained at another's good fortune and rejoices at another's ill-fortune. - The Ethics, Spinoza

Envy makes the world go round, and as far as Spinoza was concerned it is almost our default emotional state. In his typical manner Spinoza lays out exactly what envy is - pain at another's good fortune, o…