Spinoza

A New Study Of Spinoza

The philosophy of Spinoza has been receiving sustained scholarly attention for the past forty years. The increased philosophical interest in Spinoza is probably due in part to the willingness of some philosophers to reengage with large metaphysical and religious questions that had in the earlier part of the 20th century been marginalized. With many books to chose from on Spinoza, together with the complete translation of his works by Edwin Curley, this new book, simply titled "Spinoza" (2021) offers an outstanding overview of this thought that will be useful to both new students and scholars. Justin Steinberg and Valtteri Viljanen, two distinguished Spinoza scholars, collaborated on this book. Steinberg, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College and SUNY Graduate Center, is the author of a recent study, "Spinoza's Political Psychology: The Taming of Fortune and Fear". Viljanen, Senior Research Fellow in the School of History, Culture, and Arts Studies at the University of Turku, Finland, has written extensively on Spinoza's metaphysics. The book is part of a series of studies titled "Classic Thinkers" published by Polity Press. Polity kindly sent me a review copy of the book.

The book is concisely and clearly written and offers an integrated approach to Spinoza's thought. At one time, consideration of Spinoza focused on the metaphysics and epistemology set out in the first two books of the "Ethics". More recent studies, for example Steven Nadler's recent book, "Think Least of Death"give close consideration to Spinoza's ethical theory as well. Steinberg and Viljanen commendably follow in that direction and place a great deal of emphasis on Spinoza's ethical thought.

Similarly, relatively little had been written on Spinoza's "Theological Political Treatise" ("TTP") when I studied the book in graduate school in the 1980s. Since that time, the TTP has been the subject of extensive study, including another book by Nadler titled "A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age.". The TTP gets its well-deserved due from Steinberg and Viljanen as it is considered, together with the "Ethics" in exploring Spinoza's religious philosophy and again, together with the "Political Treatise" in considering Spinoza's political philosophy.

In addition to integrating the various parts of Spinoza's thought into a whole, the book performs a more important service. It shows why Spinoza remains important and worth studying. Put less formally, it made me fall in love with Spinoza all over again, perhaps for better fuller reasons with age. The book shows the radical, sweeping character of Spinoza's thought, with a focus, for me, on its religious character and on its monism. The authors argue that Spinoza supplanted traditional theology with a "revisionary alternative, the core of which consisted in the promotion of love and of freedom of mind." They find that Spinoza is "not merely a critic of ordinary religion but also a profound -- if profoundly unorthodox-- religious thinker." With respect to the monism of Spinoza's thought, the authors find that "for many present day readers, the idea that we are all part of a vast nature, thoroughly integrated to an infinite universe is likely to strike a deep chord."

The book begins with a brief biographical chapter which emphasizes the precarious political situation of the Dutch state during Spinoza's lifetime. The political tensions of the day inform the author's treatment of Spinoza's work, particularly as it involves the treatment of religion and the separation of theology from governance, and its treatment of community, which the authors find a crucial theme of Spinoza's work. The following two chapters explore Spinoza's metaphysics -- his view of reality -- and his view of religion, followed by a chapter on his understanding of the nature of knowledge and of the human mind. The next two chapters consider Spinoza's understanding of the emotions and his understanding of ethics and the good human life. A careful consideration of Spinoza's understanding of politics and democracy in the TTP and the late Political Treatise is followed by a short concluding chapter on Spinoza's historical influence.

While short, the book offers careful, nuanced readings of Spinoza. It considers the many ambiguities in his writings and possible alternative interpretations that have been offered. It shows some ot the telling criticisms that have been offered of Spinoza's philosophy and considers possible responses and ways of rehabilitating or restating his basic insights. Each chapter concludes with a short list of suggestions for further reading, and the book concludes with an extended list of references.

For most of my life, I have felt close to the thought of Spinoza. This study helped me engage with him again. This book will be valuable to serious readers who wish to learn about or deepen their understanding of this great philosopher.

Robin Friedman