Spinozian degrees of individuation: philosophy demonstrated in optical order

Abstract

Starting from the rejection of Spinoza's conception as an isolated thinker who alone creates his philosophical writings, I maintain that this philosophy is the product of a philosopher who is a finite mode in relation to many other finite modes. While some research argues that Spinoza's philosophy is not related to the scientific questions at the time of its creation; my hypothesis is that Spinozian degrees of individuation are better understood if we consider both Spinoza's texts and the scientific context of Europe (and Holland in particular) in the second half of the seventeenth century. Context focused on the improvement and use of telescopes and microscopes. For this purpose I will analyze the series of letters exchanged by Spinoza and Oldenburg in 1665 in conjunction with sections of Ethics and the scientific events and productions of that time. I maintain that Spinoza's reception of contemporary ideas overlaps the creation of what is known as his conception of degrees of individuation.