Spinoza and the Rise of LiberalismIn this classic work the author undertakes to show how Spinoza's philosophical ideas, particularly his political ideas, were influenced by his underlying emotional responses to the conflicts of his time. It thus differs form most professional philosophical analyses of the philosophy of Spinoza. The author identifies and discusses three periods in the development of Spinoza's thought and shows how they were reactions to the religious, political and economic developments in the Netherlands at the time. In his first period, Spinoza reacted very strongly to the competitive capitalism of the Amsterdam Jews whose values were ""so thoroughly pervaded by an economic ethics that decrees the stock exchange approached in dignity the decrees of God,"" and of the ruling classes of Amsterdam, and was led out only to give up his business activities but also to throw in his lot with the Utopian groups of the day. In his second period, Spinoza developed serious doubts about the practicality of such idealistic movements and became a ""mature political partisan"" of Dutch liberal republicanism. The collapse of republicanism and the victory of the royalist party brought further disillusionment. Having become more reserved concerning democratic processes, and having decided that ""every form of government could be made consistent with the life of free men,"" Spinoza devoted his time and efforts to deciding what was essential to any form of government which would make such a life possible.In his carefully crafted introduction to this new edition, Lewis Feuer responds to his critics, and reviews Spinoza's worldview in the light of the work of later scientists sympathetic to this own basic standpoint. He reviews Spinoza's arguments for the ethical and political contributions of the principle of determinism, and examines how these have guided, and at times frustrated, students and scholars of the social and physical sciences who have sought to understand and advance these disciplines. |
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Page 1
... council do you to wit, that having long known the evil opinions and works of Baruch de Spinoza, they have endeavored by divers ways and promises to withdraw him from his evil ways, and they are unable to find a remedy, but on the ...
... council do you to wit, that having long known the evil opinions and works of Baruch de Spinoza, they have endeavored by divers ways and promises to withdraw him from his evil ways, and they are unable to find a remedy, but on the ...
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... Council of the Dutch East India Company. Menasseh had endeavored in his book “to combine the agreeable of Plato with the profitable of Aristotle." twice as numerous in the Amsterdam of 1674 as their 6 SPINOZA AND THE RISE OF LIBERALISM.
... Council of the Dutch East India Company. Menasseh had endeavored in his book “to combine the agreeable of Plato with the profitable of Aristotle." twice as numerous in the Amsterdam of 1674 as their 6 SPINOZA AND THE RISE OF LIBERALISM.
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... Council, said Article VI of the constitution, having elected themselves from the previously existent Council of fifteen, “will in the future always elect the new Council.” Dissent was repressed in the Amsterdam Synagogue. The ...
... Council, said Article VI of the constitution, having elected themselves from the previously existent Council of fifteen, “will in the future always elect the new Council.” Dissent was repressed in the Amsterdam Synagogue. The ...
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Contents
1 | |
Revolutionist in Mystic Withdrawal | 38 |
Political Scientist in the Cause of Human Liberation | 58 |
The Promise and Anguish of Democracy | 87 |
Philosophic Liberal in a Reactionary Age | 136 |
A Free Mans Philosophy | 198 |
Epilogue | 254 |
Notes | 259 |
Index | 309 |
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Common terms and phrases
Aboab according to Spinoza Acosta Amsterdam Amsterdam Jewry Anabaptists aristocratic republic authority Benjamin Furly Calvinist Cartesian cause Christian citizens Colerus Collegiant commonwealth constitution Correspondence council death democracy democratic Descartes desire doctrine dominion Dutch Republic economic England English eternal Ethics excommunication existence fear freedom friends God’s Hague hatred Hebrew History Hobbes Holland house of Orange human Ibid ideas India Company infinite Jewish community Jews John de Witt king Koerbagh laws Leibniz Liberal Republicans liberty live London man’s mathematical men’s Menasseh ben Israel Mennonites metaphysics mind monarchy Morteira multitude mystic nature Netherlands Oldest Biography opinion pantheist party passions patricians peace people’s philosophy Pieter Prince of Orange Prop Quakers Rabbi radical religion religious revolution revolutionary scientific seventeenth century Sir William Temple social society Spinoza wrote Spinoza’s political Synagogue theocracy theological theory things thought Tractatus Politicus Tractatus Theologico-Politicus trans universal Witt’s York