Simon Duffy's Logic of Expression, Introduction, "Spinoza and the Problem of Expression," §2

by Corry Shores
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[The following summarizes Simon Duffy's extraordinary book, The Logic of Expression: Quality, Quantity and Intensity in Spinoza, Hegel and Deleuze, Introduction, §2.

Duffy's work is remarkable, so I highly recommend this book. If it costs too much, perhaps encourage your library to obtain a copy.]

Simon Duffy. The Logic of Expression: Quality, Quantity and Intensity in Spinoza, Hegel and Deleuze, Introduction, §2:

Duffy notes how some Spinoza scholars have criticized Deleuze's reading of Spinoza. Macherey contests Deleuze's interpretation of "expression" and "joyful passive affection" (5a). Charles Ramond argues that Deleuze's theory of essential intensive quantities is entirely unfounded (5a.b). But Deleuze obtains these concepts by placing Spinoza in an alternate historical lineage in which Spinoza reformulates Duns Scotus' ideas for his AntiCartesian position (5c.d).

Deleuze also finds Spinoza's three dimensions of individuality – relation, power (quantity), and mode (quality) – to prefigure Hegel's categories of quantity, quality, and relation (6a.b). Throughout the rest of his text, Duffy will elaborate the ways Deleuze develops these dimensions.

Chapter 1: Macherey's Hegel ou Spinoza and Spinoza's elusion of Hegel's dialectical-historical appropriation.

Chapter 2: Calculus and the differential relations of individual composition.

Chapter 3: Power and compositional relations.

Chapter 4: Intrinsic and intensive modal essence.

Chapter 5: Power and the different/cial logic of modal differentiation.

Chapter 6: Is power fixed or variable?

Chapter 7: Passions as either joyful passive affections or sad passive affections, and adequate and inadequate ideas.

Chapter 8: The implication of joyful passive affections in modes' dynamic alterations by means of the logic of different/ciation.

Chapter 9: Individual duration (or finite modal existence) vs. eternity.

Chapter 10: The role of Deleuze's Spinozism in his wider project of a different/cial philosophy.

Duffy, Simon. The Logic of Expression: Quality, Quantity and Intensity in Spinoza, Hegel and Deleuze. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2006.