“No one has yet determined what the body can do” : the turn to the body in Spinoza and Nietzsche

Abstract

This thesis is a comparative study in the History of

Modern Philosophy focused on the recourse to physiology on the part of two

key figures, Spinoza and Nietzsche. This involves comparative research into

their emphatic appeal to the body as the key to solving fundamental philosophical problems. Both Spinoza and Nietzsche are thinkers of immanence and for both the turn to the body, which is part of their projects of naturalisation, is motivated by theoretical and practical goals. I argue that we can best understand the similarities and differences between their respective philosophical physiologies, and their broader philosophical positions, starting from their shared interest in power ontologies and their commitment to immanence and naturalism.