The Problem of Nominalism in the Spinozistic Definition of the Soul

Abstract

The answer that I give to the problem of nominalism in the work of Baruch Spinoza determines in a decisive fashion the possibilities of replying affirmatively to the question about human nature. To decide (along with a large number of contemporary interpreters of Spinoza’s philosophy) that the latter is ultimately built upon nominalistic principles forces us to do away with every ontological foundation of human nature, touchstone concept of Spinoza’s deduction both of the affects and of the therapeutic strategies that show the way to beatitudo. My aim, on the contrary, consists in bringing to light the necessarily universal component that underlies Spinoza’s psychology. Aiming at this, I review not only certain key aspects regarding the problem of the kinds of knowledge, but also the Spinozistic theory of definition.