For They Do Not Agree In Nature: Spinoza and Deep Ecology

In the Ethics, Spinoza presents a rigorous naturalistic view of humans and their non-unique position in nature, as an inherent part of nature, subjects of the very same domain as all other objects and beings, governed by the same laws. This approach seems open to interpretations close to those of Deep Ecology, and indeed such connections have been made between the two views. This paper considers Spinoza’s view, clarifies what is meant by humans being a part of nature, assesses whether this entails a Deep Ecology-like commitment towards other beings, and finally considers what precisely is entailed by Spinoza’s view, and whether its licensing of the use of other beings is necessarily entailed.