It Could’ve Happened By Accident!- On Spinoza’s Substance-Mode Relations

Abstract:

This essay explores Spinoza’s notion of Free Will. Although it may appear as though Spinoza is a hard-line determinist, I argue that upon closer inspection of Spinoza’s substance-mode relations he does indeed leave room for both necessity and contingency. The question lies as to whether one interprets Spinoza’s substance-mode relationship as de dicta or de re. I utilize Philosopher of Religion, Daniel Barber’s, Deleuzian notion of immanence, which pushes on the very distinction of de dicta and de re, to promote Spinoza as a compatibilist rather than a hard-line determinist or incompatibilist. In a sense, anything and everything could’ve happened by accident.

It Could’ve Happened By Accident!

Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑