We are happy to share with you the Zoom link and information for our first talk of the year!
Michael Della Rocca (Yale University): Broad Humeanism and the Ethics of Radical Monism: Spinoza and Hume
Time: Jan 16, 2026 04:00 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 849 7517 8242
Passcode: 343777
Abstract: One potentially devastating ethical challenge to the most radical form of monism according to which there are no distinctions arises in the following way: if there are no distinctions, then there is no distinction between good and evil, or between what is right and what is not right. The result, it is alleged, is that, on a monistic view, there would be no legitimate bases for drawing ethical distinctions, and all of our most deeply felt and treasured moral principles would be undermined. In this paper, I will take some steps toward alleviating this challenge by putting Spinoza’s account of moral motivation in dialogue with the often surprisingly similar account found in Hume. I will argue that a monist of the kind that we see in Spinoza is better able to defend a form of Humeanism about moral motivation than is Hume himself.
We look forward to seeing you there and then!
All best,
Tony
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Dr. Antonio S. Borge
Assistant Professor in Philosophy
University of Nottingham
Humanities Building, C28
