Spinoza's Political Philosophy

Developing an interpretation of Baruch Spinoza’s political thought, Caporali surveys the Theological-Political Treatise and the unfinished Political Treatise, but roots his analysis in the metaphysics of Spinoza’s masterwork, the Ethics. Caporali begins with the concept of causa sui (cause of itself), which frames God’s causal power not as will or authority but as the generative unity of substance. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. -- D. A. Forbes * CHOICE *
[...] its panoramic quality, strengths in close reading, fluency in the history of ideas and elegant style will interest scholars working across early modern political thought. [...] translations like this are making accessible a world of continental studies in Spinoza that should greatly enrich forward-looking research. -- Dan Taylor * History of Political Thought *
Through an accurate analysis of Spinoza’s work, from Part I of Ethics to the last line of the Political Treatise, Caporali displays the political thought of the author in all its depth and novelty. Rarely, if ever, has such a controversial topic been presented with this much clarity and coherence. * Diogo Pires Aurélio, New University of Lisbon *