Department of Philosophy (IFF) Nietzsche and Spinoza From Ontology to Ethics — Kim André Jacobsen Master’s Thesis in Philosophy FIL-3900- November 2014 Table of Contents 1 Forord ................................................................................................................................. 4 2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5 3 Nietzsche ............................................................................................................................ 9 3.1 Nietzsche's style of writing .......................................................................................... 9 3.2 Different definitions of the will to power .................................................................... 9 3.3 Nietzsche's ontological understanding of the will to power ........................................ 9 3.4 Theoria Philosophiæ Naturalis .................................................................................. 11 3.4.1 The problem with the mechanical philosophers’ understanding of collision ..... 11 3.4.2 The Law of Continuity ....................................................................................... 12 1.1.1 Repulsive force ................................................................................................... 14 1.1.2 Boscovich’s atomic point particle theory ........................................................... 16 3.4.3 Force points are homogeneous ........................................................................... 16 3.5 Boscovich’s legacy and Nietzsche’s pan dynamic world view ................................. 18 3.6 The human body as a battle between wills ................................................................ 20 3.7 The human spirit ........................................................................................................ 23 3.8 The practical effects of the will to power in humans ................................................. 24 3.8.1 Blissful forgetfulness .......................................................................................... 25 3.9 Nietzsche’s intention behind his metaphysical sketch ............................................... 26 3.10 Why the universe is not necessarily governed by laws .......................................... 26 3.11 Perspectivism ............................................................................................................. 29 3.12 Amor fati ................................................................................................................ 30 4 Spinoza ............................................................................................................................. 32 4.1 Spinoza and the enlightenment .................................................................................. 32 4.2 Spinoza's style of writing ........................................................................................... 32 4.3 Spinoza's theory of God ............................................................................................. 33 4.4 God and the laws of the universe ............................................................................... 33 4.5 Spinoza's critique of religion ..................................................................................... 35 4.5.1 The distinction between the “true self” and the “other parts” ............................ 35 4.5.2 Spinoza's critique of the teleological world view ............................................... 36 4.5.3 Spinoza's critique of secondary qualities ........................................................... 37 4.6 A causal universe ....................................................................................................... 38 4.7 Spinoza's fundamental assumption and the definitions that must follow from it ...... 38 4.8 The Principle of Sufficient Reason ............................................................................ 39 4.9 Substance ................................................................................................................... 39 4.9.1 Substance monism .............................................................................................. 40 1 4.10 Attributes and modes ............................................................................................. 41 4.11 God ............................................................................................................................ 42 4.11.1 What can be inferred from the fact that substance is infinite? ........................... 44 4.12 Realitas ................................................................................................................... 45 4.13 God is the cause of the continual existence of modes............................................ 45 4.13.1 God as the cause of actions in modes ................................................................. 47 4.14 In which way Spinoza understands natural laws ................................................... 48 4.14.1 God has no free will ........................................................................................... 49 4.15 Spinoza's understanding of humans and their potential ......................................... 49 4.16 Modal parallelism .................................................................................................. 49 4.17 Conatus .................................................................................................................. 50 4.18 Activity .................................................................................................................. 52 4.19 The essence of man ................................................................................................ 53 4.20 Affects .................................................................................................................... 54 4.21 Amor intellectualis dei ........................................................................................... 55 5 Nietzsche and Spinoza ..................................................................................................... 57 5.1 Greg Whitlock – Roger Boscovich, Benedict De Spinoza and Friedrich Nietzsche: The untold story ................................................................................................................... 57 5.1.1 Nietzsche’s discovery of Boscovich’s atomic point particle theory ................... 57 5.1.2 Spinoza as Nietzsche’s adversary ....................................................................... 58 5.1.3 Nietzsche’s rejection of substance ...................................................................... 59 5.1.4 Nietzsche’s rejection of infinite force ................................................................ 61 5.1.5 Boscovich’s and Spinoza’s role in Nietzsche’s conception of the will to power 63 5.2 Richard Schacht – The Nietzsche-Spinoza Problem: Spinoza as Precursor? ............ 64 5.2.1 Nietzsche’s and Spinoza’s shared naturalism ..................................................... 65 5.2.2 Spinoza as Nietzsche’s predecessor ................................................................... 67 5.2.3 The fundamental difference between Nietzsche’s and Spinoza’s philosophies, and Nietzsche’s critique of Spinoza ................................................................................. 68 5.2.4 The teleological nature of conatus ..................................................................... 70 5.2.5 Schacht’s claim that Nietzsche is criticizing Spinoza to prepare the way for a more favorable reception of his own alternative interpretation ....................................... 70 5.3 Yirmiyahu Yovel – Nietzsche and Spinoza: amor fati and amor dei ......................... 72 5.3.1 Similarities between Nietzsche and Spinoza ...................................................... 72 5.3.2 Knowledge ......................................................................................................... 73 5.3.3 The fundamental nature of the world ................................................................. 74 5.3.4 Amor fati and Amor Intellectualis Dei ............................................................... 75 5.3.5 The immanent world .......................................................................................... 77 5.3.6 Nietzsche’s problem with Spinoza ..................................................................... 79 2 6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 80 6.1 Nietzsche ................................................................................................................... 80 6.2 Spinoza ...................................................................................................................... 81 6.3 Nietzsche and Spinoza ............................................................................................... 82 6.4 The complex relationship between Nietzsche and Spinoza ....................................... 83 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 84 3 1 Forord Jeg begynte å studere filosofi fordi jeg ville fine svar. Noe av det viktigste jeg har lært i løpe av mine studier er at målet med filosofi er ikke nødvendigvis å finne svar. Jeg tror at en filosof