Donald Davidson’s “Spinozistic Extravagance”

Abstract

This article suggests reasons why Donald Davidson’s work in philosophy of mind and metaphysics can be identified as Spinozist and also explores the significance of using proper names from the history of philosophy to describe contemporary projects. It argues that what makes Davidson’s work Spinozist is not just its internal features, but the role it occupies in relation to other positions identified as Kantian and Hegelian in today’s philosophical terrain. Finally, it suggests that the core animus at the heart of Davidson’s Spinozism is its indifference to autonomy as a concept in need of metaphysical grounding or essential to normative commitment. Show more