(Towards a Spinozist structuralism)

Abstract

The following work attempts to trace the connection of a set of theoretical problems that inhabit the concept of overdetermination of Louis Althusser. First of all, we propose to recover the criticisms made to structuralism done by certain thinkers, pointing out the way in which they interpreted the Althusserian concept of overdetermination in the light of these criticisms. In a second moment, we will review those contemporary readings of Althusser that emphasize the importance of Spinozian philosophy in his thinking, in particular for the construction of the concept of overdetermination. Finally, on the basis of these readings, we will proceed to indicate that the Spinozian immanent causality allows us to revisit Althusser’s appropriation of the structuralist problematic showing that the crossing between structuralism and Spinozism in the French philosopher’s thinking enables us to propose a structuralism that avoids the criticisms recovered above. With this, we intend to show that taking into account the contemporary interpretations of Althusser in a spinozist fashion, it is possible to propose a structuralism located beyond the criticisms that have been traditionally formulated about to it. We will argue that in the context of Althusserian structuralism there are no structures outside agency and without being, at the same time, permanently displaced and reinscribed in this agency. That is, we intend to show that, based on the Spinozist immanent causality, Althusser thinks structures as immanent to social practices, thereby avoids the criticisms traditionally made to structuralism.