Spinoza

Justin Steinberg is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College, CUNY.Valtteri Viljanen is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Cultural History at the University of Turku.

�I never recommended a book about Spinoza until now. Steinberg and Viljanen�s Spinoza neatly presents this grand thinker�s �abominable� and �monstrous� metaphysical philosophy, cleanly tying it to his ethics and political theory. Excellent for professionals and amateurs alike.�  Steven Barbone, San Diego State University �In its comprehensiveness, Steinberg and Viljanen�s book rivals the great encyclopaedic studies of the nineteenth century, while drawing upon the latest historical discoveries and interpretative work. It is a comprehensive and readable introduction to the best current knowledge of Spinoza.�  Alexander Douglas,University of St Andrews

• Primary Sources and Abbreviations Spinoza’s worksOther works by SpinozaOther abbreviated referencesAcknowledgments1 Spinoza’s Life1.1 Early life in Amsterdam1.2 The young philosopher: after the cherem1.3 The mature Spinoza: Voorburg and The HagueFurther readingNotes2 Reality as God or Nature2.1 Substance and mode2.2 Attribute2.3 Monism2.4 Necessitarianism2.5 Subverting the tradition from withinFurther readingNotes3 Religion3.1 Traditional philosophical theology3.2 Critique of traditional philosophical theology3.3 The main objectives of the Theological-Political Treatise3.4 The context of the Theological-Political Treatise3.5 The argument for the Separation ThesisStage one: adopt a minimal method (preface)Stage two: critique of revelation (chapters 1–6)Stage three: the interpretative method (chapter 7)Stage four: the full rejection of Scripture as metaphysics (chapters 8–12)Stage five: faith and the Separation Thesis (chapters 13–15)3.6 True religionFurther readingNotes4 Knowledge and the Human Mind4.1 Ontology of cognition4.2 Mind–body relation4.3 Sense perception and inadequate knowledge4.4 Adequate knowledge4.5 Belief formationFurther readingNotes5 Action and Emotion5.1 The conatus principle and its context5.2 Main features of finite things as strivers5.3 Action and teleology5.4 Architecture of emotions5.5 Passive and active affects5.6 Affects and socialityFurther readingNotes6 Moral Philosophy6.1 The critique of intrinsic normativity6.2 Grounding goodness6.3 Bondage to the passions6.4 Human freedomAltruism and socialityCognitive therapy6.5 Individual eternity and the highest goodFurther readingNotes7 Political Philosophy7.1 Political context7.2 Right, obligation, and powerNaturalizing authorityThe significance of Spinoza’s critique of natural jurisprudence7.3 The aim of politics7.4 TolerationThe anticlerical case for tolerationThe secular case for toleration7.5 Democratism7.6 Liberation and the stateFurther readingNotes8 Spinoza’s Reception8.1 The tumultuous first century8.2 The long nineteenth century: the rise to fame8.3 Spinoza until today: the silent years and the scholarly renaissanceFurther readingNotesReferencesIndex