Spinoza’s Cosmological Argument in the Ethics

Lærke, Mogens

doi:10.1353/hph.2011.0085

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In several recent contributions, Mogens Lærke () has articulated a refined account of Spinoza's concept of causality by showing how the causality of finite modes is God's self‐causation (E1p25). In particular, commenting on E1p25c, Lærke observes that, in Spinoza's account of causation, divine self‐causation and causation among modes are one and the same: “finite causal relations are ways in which God causally relates to himself through his modes” (Lærke , 16).…”

Section: The Ethics: Immanent Causality and Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinoza's Rethinking of Activity: From the Short Treatise to the Ethics

Sangiacomo¹,

Nachtomy²

2018

The Southern J of Philosophy

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This paper argues that God's immanent causation and Spinoza's account of activity as adequate causation (of finite modes) do not always go together in Spinoza's thought. We show that there is good reason to doubt that this is the case in Spinoza's early Short Treatise on God, Man and His Well‐being. In the Short Treatise, Spinoza defends an account of God's immanent causation without fully endorsing the account of activity as adequate causation that he will later introduce in the Ethics (E3def2). We turn to an examination of how God's immanent causation relates to the activity of finite things in the Ethics. We consider two ways to think about the link between God, seen as immanent cause, and the activity of finite things: namely, in terms of entailment and in terms of production. We argue that the productive model is most promising for understanding the way in which the activity of finite things and God's immanent causality are connected in Spinoza's (mature) philosophy

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Section: The Ethics: Immanent Causality and Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinoza's Rethinking of Activity: From the Short Treatise to the Ethics

Sangiacomo¹,

Nachtomy²

2018

The Southern J of Philosophy

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“…For historically-based criticism of emanative readings of Spinoza, see Laerke 2011, 457 f. 101 Viljanen 2011, 44. 102 Suarez, DM 18.3.4, in Viljanen 2008 Brought to you by | Yale University Authenticated Download Date | 7/16/15 2:53 PM In short, I suggest that we understand the echoes of emanation in E1p17s properly once we see Spinozistic formal causality as emanation "mathematically rehabilitated", what emanative natural causality truly is, once it is adequately understood.…”

Section: Brought To You By | Yale Universitymentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Significance of Formal Causes in Spinoza’s Metaphysics

Hübner

2015

Archiv Für Geschichte Der Philosophie

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The paper argues for a formal-causal account of Spinoza's metaphysics. Its basic claim is that neither relations of ideas alone nor efficient causality -especially if interpreted "mechanistically" -articulate the basic sense of the Spinozistic 'cause'. Instead it is formal causality, as understood by Descartes and other 17 th -century mathematicians on the basis of Aristotleʼs Posterior Analytics, which fits best both with the textual evidence and with the more general conceptual constraints of Spinoza's metaphysics. Building on the work of Carraud and Viljanen, the paper develops a more precise concept of formal causality and a systematic formal-causal account of Spinoza's metaphysics. It gives this account footing in new arguments, shows its explanatory superiority to rival interpretations and connects it to other Spinozistic doctrines.

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“…See also Melamed, , pp. 105–11 and, for critiques of this reading, Lærke, , pp. 446–54; Hübner, , pp.…”

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confidence: 99%

Spinoza's Formal Mechanism

Martin

2017

Pacific Philosophical Qtr

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I defend a new reading of Spinoza's account of causation that reconciles the strengths of the mechanist and formal cause interpretations by locating instances of nature's fixed and unchanging laws inside individual natures; natures are efficacious because that's where the laws are. God's necessity, for instance, follows from certain logical principles contained within God's nature. Causes between finite particulars likewise stem entirely from finite natures. They do so, I argue, because finite instances of nature's fixed and unchanging laws are inscribed within those natures. In each of these instances, effects follow from natures on account of laws contained within them.

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Spinoza’s Cosmological Argument in the Ethics

Cited by 19 publications

References 22 publications

Spinoza's Rethinking of Activity: From the Short Treatise to the Ethics

Spinoza's Rethinking of Activity: From the Short Treatise to the Ethics

On the Significance of Formal Causes in Spinoza’s Metaphysics

Spinoza's Formal Mechanism

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