Freedom and Determinism in Spinoza

Determinism Should Ensure Deadlock-Freedom

This program creates two tasks, f and g, and runs them in parallel. The par statement blocks until both f and g terminate. c is a channel and both a and b are incarnations of c. g takes c by out (reference); any modification of b is therefore reflected in main’s c. f takes c by in (value), and hence f maintains a local copy of c. Suppose f wants to receive the updated value, then it explicitly ...

Freedom, Weakness, and Determinism: From Linear-Time to Branching-Time

Model checking is a method for the veri cation of systems with respect to their speci cations. Symbolic model-checking, which enables the veri cation of large systems, proceeds by calculating xed-point expressions over the system's set of states. The -calculus is a branching-time temporal logic with xed-point operators. As such, it is a convenient logic for symbolic modelchecking tools. In part...

Stardrives and Spinoza

There are several senses in which one may speak of limits in relation to Physics. For the purposes of this essay, it is most useful to begin with the technological limitations of practical human activity. In this context, Physics both provides positive and negative information. Physical laws tell us how to achieve some goals, and informs us that others are forever out of reach. An excellent his...

Spinoza Today: The Current State of Spinoza Scholarship

Substance, Attribute, and Mode in Spinoza

Some of Spinoza’s most well-known doctrines concern what kinds of beings there are and how they are related to each other. For example, he claims that: (1) there is only one substance; (2) this substance has infinitely many attributes; (3) this substance is God or nature; (4) each of these attributes express the divine essence; and (5) all else is a mode of the one substance. These claims have ...