Gibt es Individuen?

Abstract

Does Spinoza accept finite individuals as really existing things? Or does he endorse the thesis that the substance is the only thing with real existence? This paper argues that his monism does not rule out the existence of individuals that have dependent, yet real existence. Spinoza defends a form of priority monism, taking the substance to be the foundation of all finite individuals, and thereby rejects existence monism. On his view, finite individuals are “power parts”: being founded in the substance, they have their active power from it. The paper argues for this thesis by analyzing Spinoza’s definition of parts. Moreover, it pays close attention to his functional individuation of parts that makes it possible to individuate different types of “power parts” at different levels.