Abstract

My thesis is a critical and historical analysis of Part I of Spinoza's Ethics. I argue that his one-substance doctrine is far more compelling than critics assert. Spinoza ingeniously develops the doctrine to furnish the foundation for Galilean science, and does so without inviting the difficulties of Cartesian metaphysics. At the same time, Spinoza's metaphysics, particularly his unique conception of an attribute, accommodates key claims of theology. Spinoza's use of the term 'God' for substance is thus not, as many charge, a mere throwaway term