Spinoza: Theological-Political Treatise (Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521530970 ISBN 13: 9780521530972

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2007

Synopsis

Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise (1670) is one of the most important philosophical works of the early modern period. In it Spinoza discusses at length the historical circumstances of the composition and transmission of the Bible, demonstrating the fallibility of both its authors and its interpreters. He argues that free enquiry is not only consistent with the security and prosperity of a state but actually essential to them, and that such freedom flourishes best in a democratic and republican state in which individuals are left free while religious organizations are subordinated to the secular power. His Treatise has profoundly influenced the subsequent history of political thought, Enlightenment 'clandestine' or radical philosophy, Bible hermeneutics, and textual criticism more generally. It is presented here in a translation of great clarity and accuracy by Michael Silverthorne and Jonathan Israel, with a substantial historical and philosophical introduction by Jonathan Israel.

About this title

Book Description:

Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise (1670) is one of the most important philosophical works of the early modern period. It is presented here in a translation of great clarity and accuracy by Michael Silverthorne and Jonathan Israel, with a substantial historical and philosophical introduction by Jonathan Israel.

About the Author:

Jonathan Israel is Professor of Modern European History at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He is author of Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and the Making of Modernity 1650-1750 (2001).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0521530970
• ISBN 13: 9780521530972
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 329
• Editor: Israel Jonathan, Silverthorne Michael