A scion of Jewish refugees from the Iberian Peninsula living in the Dutch Golden Age, brought to print one of the most controversial texts of the early modern period. A Theologico-Political Treatise and A Political Treatise by Benedict de Spinoza are one of the most controversial texts of its time and an unfinished—by the author’s death—text that would have expounded upon the author’s political thoughts.

In his Theologico-Political, Spinoza argues what the best roles of state and religion concluding that a bit of democracy, freedom of speech and religion within a state that remains supreme in governance of the populace without the meddling of religious leaders. To bring about his conclusions, Spinoza critiqued the Bible, organized religion, and the meddling of philosophy and Scriptural interpretation. Yet Spinoza spent so much time in his criticism that his quick turn to his conclusions almost seemed like an add on even though this reader loved his conclusion. The unfinished Political Treatise dealt with how a monarchal or aristocratic form of government—his was just beginning his discussion of democracy at his death—could function without devolving into tyranny and not violating the liberty of its citizens. How Spinoza’s ideal governmental forms of monarchy and aristocracy were constituted were intriguing, but the treatise unfinished status leaves a reader a lot of questions without how Spinoza would incorporate his previous ideas in Theologico-Political. Of the two treatises presented, the completed Theologico-Political is of better value yet is appears to harbor Spinoza’s resentment in falling out with the Jewish community of Amsterdam, however his ending argument for the secularization of state governance along with the freedom of speech and religion are highly valuable.

This book is important for those interested in political thought and the role of religion—if any—in government. While Benedict de Spinoza’s own personal issues due come through the text the Theologico-Political Treatise is important in the evolution of thought in freedom of religion. ( )

12/11/21

Contents:
A Theologico-Political Treatise (1670)
A Political Treatise (1677)

El tratado político es una descripción de cómo debería ser el Estado ideal, con tres versiones: monárquica, aristocrática y democrática. Desgraciadamente, esta última parte quedó apenas iniciada, porque el texto está inacabado. Por cierto, que el final es precisamente el momento en que Spinoza justifica por qué las mujeres, como los niños o los locos, no deben participar del poder. Con lo que les gusta a algunos "progresistas" citar a este hombre.

El "Tratado teológico-político" dedica la mayor parte del tiempo a hacer exégesis bíblica. Me ha gustado el planteamiento de base: los textos sagrados son religiosos, no históricos, y así hay que interpretarlos. Sin embargo, junto con interpretaciones muy certeras, encontramos justificaciones tomadas por los cabellos.

Por otro lado, para nuestro autor las leyes de la Naturaleza son designios de Dios y, por tanto, ciencia y religión no solo no se oponen sino que convergen. Esto es estupendo. El problema es que de aquí Spinoza deriva una superioridad práctica de la razón humana sobre la voluntad divina y anula la capacidad de actuación de un Dios personal. Muchas personas afirman creer en "el Dios de Spinoza" porque, en realidad, este Dios explica el origen del Universo, pero después ya no hace nada más. Es un Dios cómodo, para Él y para nosotros, porque podemos afirmar su existencia pero ignorarlo por completo. Yo no creo en este Dios, sino en uno que se preocupa por todas y cada una de sus criaturas, un Dios-Madre que, si hace falta, se salta sus propias reglas. Poner las reglas, que en definitiva solo son las reglas que conocemos, por encima de su Creador me parece un grave error. ( )

Spinoza: Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, in: The Chief Works of Benedict de Spinoza, Vol. I, George Bell & Sons, London, 2nd Ed. 1891
Translated by R.H.M. Elwes

Much has been written about Spinoza so I will say only a few words:
Spinoza, Dutch of Portuguese Jewish origin, and Vermeer van Delft were exact contemporaries: both born in 1632, they both died young, in their forties, within 2 years of each other.
Spinoza writes in Latin, the lingua franca of the educated at that time; he also does not wish to address the masses ‘for I cannot expect that it contains anything to please them. […] I would rather that [the multitude, and those of like passions with the multitude] should utterly neglect it, than that they should misinterpret it after their wont.’ Of no avail: published anonymously in 1670, the Tractatus raised ‘a storm of angry controversy’ (Elwes).
The work falls into 3 parts: In Chapters 1- 13 Spinoza submits the scriptures to a rational analysis accepting no other source but the scriptures themselves for his critique. He goes back to the Hebrew text to avoid mistranslations and points out ambiguities in the wording. He concludes that the text had many authors and was written over many, perhaps hundreds of years, at times resulting in contradictions and errors. He dismisses miracles as acts of God, but calls them simply phenomena we do not understand but which appeal powerfully to the imagination; he writes: “that we cannot gain knowledge of the existence and providence of God by means of miracles, but “that our knowledge of […] God’s will increases in proportion to our knowledge […] of nature.” (Chap. 6)
In Chapters 16-20 Spinoza discusses various forms of political power in relation to the demands of the scriptures and the duties of all persons towards either and both. In the central and most important section (Chap. 14-15) Spinoza deals with the nature of faith and its relationship to reason: reason seeks truth, faith demands obedience to God’s command to love your neighbour as yourself, two ways to virtue, neither should be subject to the other.
In the rationality of the analysis, though not in his deep religiosity, Spinoza belongs already to the Enlightenment. (III-10)