Overview

Published surreptitiously in 1670, Spinoza's Theologico-Political Treatise transformed early modern Europe, destabilising widely-held ideas about authority, prophecy and biblical scripture, while arguing for democracy, free speech and religious toleration. Dismissed by one contemporary as a book 'forged in hell by the Devil himself', and suppressed soon after publication, the Theologico-Political Treatise had a tremendous influence from the Enlightenment, to German Idealism, to late-20th century Marxism. Today, a growing interest in Spinoza's political theory is connected to a longing for a counter-narrative to the Western tradition of philosophy and political thought, for which Spinoza is becoming a major point of reference. This collection brings together expert and early career perspectives on Spinoza's politics of freedom, democracy, critique of religion and authority, the imagination, equality and violence. While providing valuable contextual material on the Theologico-Political Treatise on its 350th anniversary, the collection brings Spinoza's politics into debate with contemporary political theory.

Full Product Details

Author:   Dan Taylor (Lecturer in Social and Political Thought, The Open University) ,  Marie Wuth (Research Associate at the Institute of Philosophy, University of Hamburg, Germany.)
Publisher:   Edinburgh University Press
Imprint:   Edinburgh University Press
ISBN:  

9781399539272

ISBN 10:   1399539272
Pages:   296
Publication Date:   28 February 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors Prologue Preface Susan James Introduction: Pestilence Dan Taylor and Marie Wuth Abbreviations Part I. Politics 1. Truth, Obedience and Freedom. Some Considerations on Spinoza’s Concept of Politics and its Relation with Philosophy María Jimena Solé 2. Hobbes and Spinoza on natural equality and political equilibrium Beth Lord 3. What would the Practice of the Universal Faith in Democracy Look Like? Ki-Myoung Kim Part II. Power 4. God or Natura naturata? Spinoza on the Identity Between God and Nature Antonio Salgado Borge 5. Kissing the Ring: Power, Ingenium and Disposition Dan Taylor 6. Violence, Speech, and Deception in Spinoza’s Theologico-Political Treatise Hasana Sharp 7. Towards Spinoza’s Critique of Violence: On Sovereign Interruption and the Bodily Limits of Political Violence Nicolas Lema Habash Part III. Imagination 8. Recognition-Rebellion-Freedom – Emergent Identities and Political Change in Spinoza Steph Marston 9. Daily Invectives: The State of Bitter Hate Marie Wuth 10. Imagination, Authority, and Admiratio in Spinoza’s Theologico-Political Thought Gil Morejón 11. Spinoza’s True Prophecies: Justified Good Belief Emanuele Costa Epilogue Roundtable on Democracy, Public Reasoning and the Education of the Imagination Mogens Lærke, Martin Saar and Dan Taylor Works Cited Index

Reviews

This intensely engaging and original collection of essays stands as testament to the power of Spinoza's political and theological writings to continue to generate innovative and inspiring ways of conceiving of the State, freedom, and violence. This exhilarating volume opens new paths of inquiry for political and social philosophy, ethics, and the history of ideas, but it also offers welcome practical insights into the many conundrums democracy poses in our present.--Moira Gatens, Emerita Challis Professor of Philosophy, University of Sydney

Author Information

Dan Taylor is a Senior Lecturer in Social and Political Thought at the Open University. He specialises in political theory and British politics. He’s the author of three books including Spinoza and the Politics of Freedom (Edinburgh University Press, 2021), and Island Story: Journeys Through Unfamiliar Britain (shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2017). In 2023 he was awarded the title BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker. Marie Wuth is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Practical Philosophy at the University of Hamburg, Germany. Her research focuses on the relation of nature and politics, questions of agency and identity, as well as the power of affects and imagination. Her most recent publications include the co-edited volume Decolonising Political Concepts (2023) and “Hate. Imaginary Roots and Fatal Dynamics of a Complex Relations” (2022).

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