Ontological Trash: Material Extension in Spinoza and Malebranche KU Leuven
My research explores the ambiguous status of matter in the post-Cartesian metaphysics of Nicolas Malebranche and Baruch Spinoza. Staying true to the Cartesian discovery, Malebranche conceives of matter as inert, bereft of any active internal principle of organization. However, his introduction of Neoplatonic themes, by way of Augustine, renders matter indelibly marked with the contaminant called original sin. I propose 'trash' as the best ...