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2. - Absolute (Political)

from A

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2025

By
Ericka Tucker
Edited by
Karolina Hübner  and
Justin Steinberg
Karolina Hübner
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Justin Steinberg
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
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Summary

In Spinoza’s metaphysics, “absolute” (absolute/a) is a term reserved for God and the whole of nature. In the TP, Spinoza applies the term “absolute” to states, noting that democracy is the “most absolute” form of state (TP11.1). Some critics have puzzled over Spinoza’s apparent embrace of absolutism and his arguments for democracy since the notion of collective power seems contrary to an absolute concentration of power.

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Chapter
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The Cambridge Spinoza Lexicon , pp. 5 - 7
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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References

Recommended Reading

Den Uyl, D. (2000). Why read the Political Treatise. In Spinoza, Political Treatise, trans. S. Shirley (pp. vii–xviii). Hackett.Google Scholar
Goldenbaum, U. (2013). Sovereignty and obedience. In Clarke, D. M. & Wilson, C. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy in Early Modern Europe (pp. 500–24). Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Matheron, A. (1988). Individu et communauté chez Spinoza. New edn. Éditions de Minuit.Google Scholar
Prokhovnik, R. (1997). From democracy to aristocracy: Spinoza, reason and politics. History of European Ideas, 23(2–4).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steinberg, J. (2018). Spinoza’s Political Psychology: The Taming of Fortune and Fear. Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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