Category Archives: Spinoza

historical ontology – Spinoza style

Posted on March 31, 2011 by

In my post on historical ontology over at the new APPS blog (here), I anticipated the following criticism: how is the multiplicity related to actual beliefs and states of affairs? Are you not appealing to some mysterious aspect of reality, … Continue reading →

Posted in Spinoza | 1 Comment

the relevance of philosophy (Frege or Spinoza)

Posted on March 26, 2011 by

Frege’s famous essay, “On Sinn and Bedeutung,” begins with the problem of identity, or equality. If a and b designate the same thing, Frege argues, then ‘it would seem that a = b could not differ from a = a.’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Deleuze, Frege, Spinoza | 1 Comment

Spinoza and OOO

Posted on March 4, 2011 by

I’ve been thinking through a number of issues related to Spinoza and OOO, extending conversations I’ve had with Levi over whether one can read Spinoza in a way that is compatible with OOO while at the same time not bastardizing … Continue reading →

Posted in Deleuze, OOO, Spinoza | 7 Comments

reactive philosophy

Posted on March 2, 2011 by

When all is said and done, on Matthew Stewart’s reading of the Spinoza-Leibniz encounter in The Courtier and the Heretic, Leibniz’s philosophy is a reactive philosophy – a philosophy founded on not being Spinoza’s philosophy rather than being a philosophy that … Continue reading →

Posted in Speculative Realism, Spinoza | Leave a comment

Leibniz and neoconservatism

Posted on February 28, 2011 by

A standard reading of modern political theory, or one could arguably say the standard reading, lays the greatest emphasis upon the state of nature theories and their attendant arguments concerning the social contract. Beginning with Hobbes, this standard reading continues … Continue reading →

Posted in Leibniz, Spinoza, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Spinoza or Leibniz

Posted on February 10, 2011 by

In his excellent book, Before Logic, Richard Mason (who also has a nice book on Spinoza, The God of Spinoza) argues that problems in logic as logicians understand them, and as they attempt to resolve them, are themselves consequences of … Continue reading →

Posted in Leibniz, Spinoza | 6 Comments

Spinoza, appetites, and inferentialism

Posted on December 18, 2010 by

Appetite, as Spinoza makes clear, is nothing but our striving to persevere in our being, and this striving, “as related to the mind and body together, it is called appetite” (3P9S). As related to our body, therefore, our appetite is … Continue reading →

Posted in Dialetheism, Robert Brandom, Spinoza | 2 Comments

God did not create the universe, says Hawking – Yahoo! News

Posted on September 2, 2010 by

God did not create the universe, says Hawking – Yahoo! News. Hawking also sounds like Spinoza when he claims: “Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.”

Posted in Spinoza | 3 Comments

Spinoza Upside Down

Posted on August 2, 2010 by

Steven Shaviro’s post lays out quite nicely the contrast, as he sees it, between Spinoza-Deleuze and Whitehead. In essence this boils down to what role, if any, the virtual plays in their work. As a longtime admirer of Whitehead’s work … Continue reading →

Posted in Deleuze, Spinoza | Leave a comment

Eternity and Duration in Spinoza

Posted on August 1, 2010 by

In the context of Spinoza’s famous letter to Lodewijk Meyer (Letter 12) where Spinoza lays forth the differences, as he sees it, between the infinite and the finite, substance and modes, Spinoza makes an important distinction between eternity and duration: … Continue reading →

Posted in Spinoza | 5 Comments