Since to the essence of everything belongs, besides its internal constitution, also the relation with the external causes that keep that thing alive, the conatus has to be interpreted as the effort to keep and perfect the interaction of the thing with the outside world. The author tries to demonstrate his thesis by starting from a confutation of the "Inherence Implies Causation Doctrine" of Don Garrett, proceeding through an analytical comment on the propositions from E3p4 to E3p6, and pointing out the intrinsic relation - though not to be seen in the critical literature - of conatus and external causes. To end, the essay addresses the topic of fortune so as to make clear that the opposition of the conatus to the fortune does not mean opposition to the relations with the outside world. .
Keywords: Conatus, inherence, opposition, external causes, power, fortune