Spinoza and the Rise of Liberalism

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Medieval
Cover of the book Spinoza and the Rise of Liberalism by Lewis S. Feuer, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lewis S. Feuer ISBN: 9781351488402
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: September 29, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Lewis S. Feuer
ISBN: 9781351488402
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: September 29, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In 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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 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.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Middle East Patterns, Student Economy Edition by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book World Prehistory by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Education in the People's Republic of China, Past and Present by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Internationalisation of Social Sciences in Central and Eastern Europe by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book The People's Property? by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Research and Supervision in Mathematics and Science Education by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Segmentation Strategies for Hospitality Managers by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book A Genealogy of the Torture Taboo by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Validation in Language Assessment by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book World Dance Cultures by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Studying Shakespeare by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Outlines of Social Philosophy by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book On the History of Political Philosophy by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Protecting the Periphery by Lewis S. Feuer
Cover of the book Reflections on Community Psychiatric Nursing by Lewis S. Feuer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy