Philosophy, Theology, and Politics: A Reading of Benedict Spinoza's Tractatus theologico-politicus »

Paul J. Bagley, Ph.D. (1990) in Philosophy, Trinity College, Dublin, is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Loyola College in Maryland. He has published on Spinoza, Descartes, and Esotericism. He currently is writing a monograph on Machiavelli, Bacon, and Descartes.

The interpretation of Spinoza’s theologico-political teaching remains a matter of controversy. Is Spinoza simply addressing contemporary difficulties in The Netherlands of the late 1660s? Or is he attempting to solve a more basic and enduring human problem? In this book, it is argued that against the background of contemporary concerns, Spinoza treats the more fundamental “natural problem” of reconciling those who live by “the dictates of reason” with those who live by “the urgings of the passions.” Based upon his accounts of theology, human nature, and politics, Spinoza fashions a theocratic or “theologico-political solution” to the “natural problem” by holding that the “universal religion” and the democratic liberalism of the treatise share a common purpose. Thus, Spinoza becomes a “new Moses.”

Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction Part One Philosophy Part Two Theology Part Three Politics Part Four Philosophy, Theology, and Politics Epilogue Spinoza: The New Moses Selected Bibliography Index of Names