Nature and Thought

The complement in Spinoza's doctrine of his attribution of Extension to God is that of Thought to Nature.  This is two decades prior to the appearance of Newton's concept of Nature as mechanical, and, hence, as lacking Thought, so perhaps Spinoza recognizes no urgency in explaining the role of Thought in mechanical relations.  Still, he is familiar with the discoveries of Galileo, so he is aware of such relations constituting gravitational events. He is also, of course, familiar with the work of Descartes, and, hence, of the latter's innovations in and applications of Analytic Geometry.  Furthermore, he is aware of the status of Mathematical relations as objects of Thought, according to Descartes, and, hence, as products of Thought in his doctrine. Thus, if Spinoza's concept of Nature is influenced by Descartes, then insofar as the laws of Nature are fundamentally Mathematical, Thought is an attribute of Nature.  Accordingly, a potential response by Spinoza to Newton is that qua mechanical, Nature might lack Thought, but qua Mathematical, it is constituted by Thought.