Ο υλιστικός ιδεαλισμός του Σπινόζα: η υπόσταση και τα κατηγορήματά της στη σπινοζική φιλοσοφία ; Spinoza’s materialistic idealism: the substance and its attributes in Spinoza’s philosophy

The question under study relates to the status of the attributes of the Substance. Are these real properties of Being („extra intellectum“ interpretation) or do they constitute ways of being perceived by an intellect („in intellectum“ interpretation)? This interpretive dichotomy between being and being perceived shaped the reception of Spinozism in the history of philosophy. The general position of the thesis is that Spinoza abolishes the dilemma between idealism and materialism: To the dipoles that have been put forth, and their related function of exclusion (being versus being perceived, unity of Substance versus ontological diversity), Spinoza responds by arguing that he can have it all, the one as well as the many. The argumentation begins by pointing out the common empiricist background of the two prima facie conflicting interpretations of the attributes, and primarily by showing this background to be completely foreign to Spinozism. Then the idealistic core of Spinozism is presented: the perception of the world is always imbued with concepts. This is also the first aspect of the Spinozan concept of immanence, that it is absolutely impossible to leave the space of Thought: The existence of every distinct thing is but the recognition of its distinct nature, that is, its perception as a particular mode of a particular attribute. This is what in the thesis is called the "ontologically constitutive role of the intellect", as the intellect is that which understands the distinct nature of things. The fact that there is no ontological space prior to the conceptual conception of Being means that the constitutive role of the intellect has always already been fulfilled and that, therefore, the possibility of conceptualization is embedded in the very structure of existence. The world is being perceived, in itself. This inherent ability of the Substance to be perceived is the foundation of Spinozan rationality. Following that, the materialistic basis of the Spinozan philosophy is showcased, which consists in the ...