Towards an Objectivist Reading of Spinoza's Theory of Attributes

In this paper, I argue for a novel defence of the view that attributes are numerically distinct for Spinoza, which, contrary to paradigmatic objectivist readings, does not contradict his substance monism nor commit him to the view that the only substance has more than one essence. I show that Spinoza offers three overlooked arguments for attribute unity that are consistent with my interpretation. Next, I turn to the perspectivist interpretations of Spinoza’s theory of attributes, dominant in Spinoza scholarship today, under which each attribute is one way in which the whole essence of the only substance can present itself to the intellect. I contend that my interpretation has two advantages over these readings: it can accommodate Spinoza’s arguments of attribute-essence symmetry and essence-modes proportionality.