Spinoza

Question 1

1. The definition of substances, modes/states and attributes.

Answer 1

Substances: Substance is ‘in itself’ …Whatever is not a substance is not ‘in itself’ - it needs no other thing to exist - ontologically independent

Modes/states: A same substance can have distinct modes/states (D5) - A mode is a dependent, finite thing that exists only in substance and is understood through substance.

Attributes: is what is essential for a substance
… Two substances having different attributes have nothing in common with one another

An attribute is the way a substance is understood or perceived by the intellect - for humans there are two attributes - extension and thought

Question 1

2. What distinguishes substances from each other.

Answer 1

Things are either substances distinct by attributes (thought v extension) or they’re modes of the same substance (A1 and D3)

Different substances are distinguished by their attributes (D4)

A same substance can have distinct modes/states (D5)

Thus, two or more things are made distinct from one another either by a difference in their attributes or by a difference in their modes/states (P4)

Question 2

The reason for thinking substances do not interact with each other

Answer 2

Argument for P3
1. If two things have nothing in common, they can’t be understood through one another (A5)
2. Thus, things that have nothing in common can’t be the cause of each other

Leads us to - P6 One substance can’t be produced by another substance

Argument for P6
1. Two or more substances don’t have the same attributes (follows from P5)
2. Substances having different attributes have nothing in common with one another (P2)
3. If things have nothing in common with one another, one of them can’t be the cause of the other (P3)
4. Thus, one substance can’t be produced by another substance (P6)

Question 3

The reason for thinking substances necessarily exist

Answer 3

P7: It pertains to the nature of a substance to exist
- A substance cannot be caused/produced by another substance… But it does exist
- So… Where does it come into existence?
○ By itself - it follows from this whole system that substances exist

SO…

Argument for P7 Substances must exist
1. Things are either substances or they are modes (A1)
2. Substances can’t be caused by other substances (P6)
3. Substances are prior to their states (P1)
… So substances cannot be caused by their states
4. Thus, a feature of substance is that they exist in themselves
5. So, one aspect of the nature of substances is that they exist (P7)

Question 4

The reason for thinking substances are infinite.

Answer 4

P8: Every substance is necessarily infinite

Argument for P8
1. Things are either finite or infinite
2. Whatever is finite is limited by something
3. A substance can only be limited by another substance with the same attributes
4. In Nature there cannot be two or more substances having the same nature or attribute (P5)
a. A substance with attribute A and another substance with attribute A are the same thing
5. A substance cannot be finite
a. The only thing that can stop substance from existing, is itself - another substance (substance #2) cannot interact with substance #1
6. Thus, substances must be infinite (P8)
a. The only way of stopping a substance is itself, and that just adds to the substance itself

Question 5

The reason for thinking that we cannot divide substances

Answer 5

A substance that is absolutely infinite is indivisible because:
* Dividing it would contradict its nature as infinite.
* Finite things are divisible, but infinite things cannot be divided.
* Dividing an infinite substance would either result in finite parts (contradicting its infinity) or multiple infinities (contradicting the uniqueness of the infinite substance). Therefore, such a substance is indivisible.

In Spinoza’s view, only finite things can be divided, and since God (or Nature) is the only absolutely infinite substance, it must be indivisible.