Immanence, univocity and expression. Spinoza’s ontology of substancefrom the interpretation of Gilles Deleuze

Abstract

In this article we will focus on the core notion of Spinoza’s ontology: substan-ce. From the Deleuzian point of view, the categories of “immanence”, “univocity” and “ex-pression” present show us the fundamental guidelines when it comes to constituting a trueontology. First, we will address why Deleuze considers that aspects of expression are alsocategories of immanence. Indeed, the concepts of expression and immanence reciprocallyimply each other: immanence reveals itself to be expressive; the expression, immanent.Here we will take care of periodizing and contextualizing the theory of expression, whoseorigin can be traced back to medieval philosophy with the doublecomplicatio-explicatiomovement. Finally, we will try to reveal the reading that Deleuze carries out in his Sco-tist interpretation of Spinoza. According to the French philosopher, Spinoza extremes thepossibilities of expressive immanent through the use of Scotist ideas, according to whichhe manages to compose ontology in a rigorous sense. The notions of univocity and formaldistinction make it possible to maintain joined the substance with the plurality of modesthrough the same order for all the attributes. Thus, Spinoza affirms immanence as a prin-ciple and release expression from any subordination to an emanative or exemplary causethat necessarily implies the idea of transcendence.