Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Organism

As has been discussed, the concept of Organism is problematic in terms of Causality for Spinozism. But, it may be weaker in a different respect. Schopenhauer's thesis that individuality is illusory means that any distinction within a monistic system is arbitrarily drawn, and Spinozism is such a system. Hence, the existence of any Mode, including organisms, may be problematic for Spinoza. Schopenhauer's thesis implies, for example, that Spinoza's attempts to distinguish bodies on the basis of motion-and-rest, or on contiguity, are inadequate. Likewise, since Mind is no more than the idea of Body, and a possibly inadequate one, it cannot be the ground of individuation in the system, either. More generally, the lack of a Principle of Sufficent Reason for the generation of Modes, means that Spinoza does not demonstrate that God's creativity is, say, undifferentiated emanation, the interpretation of which as a chain of discrete causes and effects is an inadequate idea. Schopenhauer's criticism applies potentially to any theory that asserts the existence of individuals, but especially so to Spinoza's most conscientiously Rational system.