Kant and Spinozism: Transcendental Idealism and Immanence from Jacobi to Deleuze (Renewing Philosophy)

This book provides a new interpretation of Kants critical work that shows Kants deep connection to Spinoza, and reveals new directions for thinking about Kant in relation to contemporary European philosophy. Beth Lord looks at Kant's philosophy in relation to four thinkers who attempted to fuse transcendental idealism with Spinoza's doctrine of immanence. Examining Jacobi, Herder, Maimon and Deleuze, Lord argues that Spinozism is central to the development of Kant's thought, and opens new avenues for understanding Kant's relation to Deleuze. In the late eighteenth century, several thinkers attempted to fuse Kant's transcendental idealism with Spinoza's philosophy of immanence. These 'Spinozistic' readings of Kant had a profound influence on the development of his theories of nature and teleology in the Critique of Judgment, and on the transformation of his philosophical system in the Opus Postumum. Lord examines Kant's relation to three of his Spinozistic readers -- F.H. Jacobi, J.G. Herder, and Solomon Maimon -- and investigates his response to their provocative suggestion that an immanent ontology solves the problems of transcendental idealism. Lord argues that this is the right context in which to understand Gilles Deleuze's reading of Kant, thereby opening new avenues for understanding both the centrality of Spinozism to Kant's thought, and the complex interrelations between Spinoza, Kant, Maimon, and Deleuze Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Tables......Page 9 Series Editor’s Preface......Page 10 Acknowledgements......Page 13 Abbreviations......Page 14 Introduction......Page 16 1 Jacobi's Provocative Suggestion......Page 35 2 Against Spinozistic Dogmatism......Page 56 3 Herder and Spinozistic Naturalism......Page 71 4 Critiques of Teleological Judgement......Page 95 5 Maimon and Spinozistic Idealism......Page 120 6 Deleuze and Spinozistic Difference......Page 145 7 Spinozism in the Ether: Kant's Opus Postumum......Page 170 Conclusion......Page 190 Notes......Page 199 Bibliography......Page 217 Index......Page 225 Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Tables 9 Series Editor鈥檚 Preface 10 Acknowledgements 13 Abbreviations 14 Introduction 16 1 Jacobi's Provocative Suggestion 35 2 Against Spinozistic Dogmatism 56 3 Herder and Spinozistic Naturalism 71 4 Critiques of Teleological Judgement 95 5 Maimon and Spinozistic Idealism 120 6 Deleuze and Spinozistic Difference 145 7 Spinozism in the Ether: Kant's Opus Postumum 170 Conclusion 190 Notes 199 Bibliography 217 Index 225