Spinoza’s political philosophy has long been overshadowed by his metaphysics, ethics, philosophy of religion, and hermeneutics of the Holy Scriptures. When scholars do consider his political philosophy, they refer mainly to the Theological-Political Treatise. Readers have even been warned of the dangers inherent in Spinoza’s critique of revealed religion with respect to political power.
The mature presentation of Spinoza’s political philosophy in the posthumously published Political Treatise merits special attention for two reasons:
(1) Spinoza provides a causal-analytical explanation of how and why more or less useful political institutions can evolve despite the fact that the actions of individuals and groups are determined primarily by affects and not by reason or insight.
(2) On the basis of this reconstruction of the ‘natural’ origin of state and law, Spinoza elaborates designs for political institutions and applies them to all three forms of government (monarchy, aristocracy, and – though incomplete – democracy). These designs consist mainly of procedural laws with intense feedback mechanisms between those in power and the subjects or citizens. The more that citizens are involved in the decision-making process, the more peace and security are stabilized and even intensified not only for citizens and those in power, but also for the common good.
Spinoza’s expositions in the Political Treatise are therefore of interest not only to philosophers, but also to jurists, political scientists, sociologists, and (political) economists.
This volume contains revised versions of papers presented at a conference of the Study Group on the History of Legal Ideas (Section of the German Section of the International Association for Legal and Social Philosophy, ivr) in 2007 and is supplemented by additional articles. The articles present Spinoza’s political philosophy as it is grounded in his broader philosophical system. They provide extensive expositions and explanations of his argumentation, chapter by chapter, and culminate in a detailed and highly differentiated survey of the contemporary international discussion of the Political Treatise. The volume vividly presents the high level and stimulating potential of this research on Spinoza’s theory of politics. It should be a welcome addition to those not familiar enough with German to access German-language Spinoza scholarship.1 The publication of the volume has been made due to the financial support from the German Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, i.e. the decision of its jury Geisteswissenschaften International.
Wolfgang Bartuschat, Stephan Kirste, and Manfred Walther
Hamburg, Salzburg, and Hannover, October 2018
Publications on Spinoza’s political philosophy in German, English, and many other languages, are accessible at the International Online Bibliography on Spinoza: www.spinoza-bibliography.de.