From the “logic of paradoxes” to dialectical logic (historical transformation of Spinozist methodology)

Abstract

The article deals with the features of the transformation of the philosophical cognitive methodology in the heritage of B. Spinoza. The central concept of Spinozism is the concept of “substance”, which plays not only a meaningful, but also a formal role in his philosophy. An analysis of the interpretation of the term “substance” by Spinoza reveals its paradoxical nature. The paradox arises in the context of operating with extremely abstract and universal concepts, therefore, thinkers always try to give these concepts a natural-philosophical character, make them more meaningful and thereby reduce the level of their inconsistency. Spinoza’s idea of substantiality as a criterion of the absolute essence of God clearly proves this. Referring to God as an absolute and universal substantial criterion, Spinoza tried to restore in rights the religious status of ontology and metaphysics, which was questioned by the theory of innate ideas of Descartes and achieved the exact opposite result. On the one hand, the substantiality of God appeared to be consistent and universal; on the other hand, His substantial character was the basis for the denial of His absoluteness, because infinite substance seeks to self-determination and self-restraint. Thus, Spinoza became the author of the concept of an absolutely contradictory substantial God as the absolute foundation of a contradictory world and the contradictory nature of human knowledge. In this sense, the paradox manifests itself not only as an obstacle to objective historical knowledge, but also as a way of transforming philosophical ideas in the history of mankind. This is the only way to understand the essence of the transformation of the ideas of Spinozism in the philosophy of Hegelianism and Marxism: the adoption of the formal features of the metaphysical concept of “substance” became the basis for the transformation of the metaphysical logic of paradox to dialectical logic.