Spinoza on the resistance of bodies

Commentators often claim that the bodies of Spinoza’s physics resist the changes they undergo. But it’s not always clear what they mean when they say this, or whether they are entitled to say it. This article clarifies what it might mean to for Spinoza’s bodies to resist change, and examines the evidence for such a view. In the first half, the author argues that there is some limited evidence for such a view, but not nearly as much as people think. In the second half, the author proposes looking for a mental analogue to collision in the realm of ideas and argues that adequacy amounts to a meaningful concept of resistance in Spinoza, albeit one that is incomplete.