Religion and power in Spinoza : essays on the "Tractatus theologico-politicus

"The Tractatus Theologico-politicus was published anonimously in 1670, thereby challenging a moderately tolerant Dutch Republic (Pierre Bayle's great arch of the refugees). The defence of libertas philosophandi (freedom of speech and thought) put forward by Spinoza, along with the underlying analysis of the fundamentals of religion and political power, were received as a radical proposal in Modern Europe, though despite prompting severe criticism and considerable amount of refutations, it circulated profusely and was translated into French, English and Dutch before the end of the century. This volume analyzes into detail Spinoza's line of reasoning, identifies its allies and its enimies, explores its more or less obvious connections with the Ethica, in order to shed light and reasess the value of this indispensable classic of theological and political thought for our time." -- Book cover Cover Copyright Information Preface Table of Contents Miquel Beltrán: Divine decrees as eternal truths in the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus 1. The dog that is a heavenly constellation and the dog that is a barking animal 2. The intellect and the will, both human and divine 3. The infinite intellect: Natura Naturans or Natura Naturata? 4. Divine decrees and eternal truths Francisco David Corrales Cordón: Prophecy in the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus in light of Averroes’ Epitome of the Parva Naturalia 1. Introduction 2. The concepts of endoxon, taṣdīq and ‘immut and prophetic activity 2.1. The logic of acceptability and the signum as a criterion for prophetic certainty 3. The concept of taṣawwur and the prophetic imagination 3.1. Conceptualization and the free-roaming imagination 4. Prophecy, internal aid and external aid 5. Conclusions Josep Olesti: Imperium in imperio: Theme and Variations 1. The political meaning of imperium in imperio 2. The metaphysical meaning 3. Power Josep Maria Ruiz Simon: The palace and the ramparts: Spinoza’s stratagems to defend sovereignty from the seditious opinion of the clergy 1. The Tacitist perspective: The fall of the free republic as a consequence of extending lex maiestas to words 2. In Clapmar’s shadow: The seditious opinion of the ‘opponents’ and the defensive value of arcana 3. A Machiavellian Maxim: accommodating religion to the reason of state 4. Reading the history of the Hebrew Republic as Tacitus and Machiavelli read the history of Rome 5. Another Machiavellian maxim: take republics and religions back to their first principles 6. The TTP’s silent counsel Moshe Shner: A virtual dialogue between Baruch Spinoza, Yehuda (Yehuda) Halevi, Moses Mendelssohn and Shlomo Mimon on the ideas of History and Tolerance The Challenge of Modernity The Truth belongs to Us! Emergence of Tolerance in Jewish Philosophy Tolerance without Historicity The ‘18th Century Spinoza’ Jörg Zimmer: Spinoza in the ‘Vormärz’ Period. On the Reception of the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus in the Work of Feuerbach and Marx 1. On the Reception of Spinoza in Classical German Philosophy 2. Feuerbach and the Upshot of the Classical Reception of Spinoza 3. Karl Marx: Freedom of Thought and the Criticism of Censorship This volume analyzes in detail Spinoza’s reasoning in Tractatus theologico-politicus, identifies allies and enemies in its historical context, and explores its more or less obvious connection with the Ethica.