Brayton Polka is professor emeritus of humanities and social & political thought at York University.

Recognizing Spinoza's philosophy as distinctively unique, Polka offers an original approach. . . . The central tenet of Polka's apprach is his provocative but at the same time polemically engaging proposition that Spinozacan only be adequately understoodif he is recognized as both resolutely modern and biblical at the same time. The merit of Polka's study lies in its highlighting of this structure of mutually illuminating satellite texts without stipulating a doctrinaire core. Rather, Polka's approach brings out the philosophically critical impetus of Spinoza's thought that resists doctrinaire reduction and grasps its subject matter by the particular method and type of argumentation it requires.

• Chapter 1 Consciousness, Desire, and the Duality of ExistenceChapter 2 Between Politics and Ethics: The Relationship between Democratic Freedom and Eternal FreedomChapter 3 Conclusion: Modernity in Light of Spinoza