Bodies, Masses, Power: Spinoza and His ContemporariesThis book seeks to show, against the grain of English language commentary, that Spinoza is neither a Cartesian nor a liberal but precisely the most thoroughgoing materialist in the history of philosophy. The work begins by examining Spinoza's notion of the materiality of writing, a notion developed through his examination of scripture. It then postulates the three fundamental principles of Spinoza's philosophy: there can be no liberation of the mind without a liberation of the body, and no liberation of the individual without a collective liberation, and that the written form of these propositions itself possesses a corporeal existence, not as the realization or materialization of a pre-existing mental, spiritual intention, but as a body among other bodies. Ultimately, the book prompts us to consider Spinoza's philosophy anew, by replacing questions like "Who has read it?" and "Of those, how many of us have understood it?" with "What material effects has it produced, not only on or in minds, but on bodies as well?" and "To what extent has it moved bodies and what has it moved them to?" |
Contents
the materiality of the letter | 1 |
why men fight | 26 |
The body of the multitude | 62 |
Hobbes and Locke | 90 |
| 125 | |
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Common terms and phrases
absolute absolute monarchy according actions Albert Burgh Althusser appears authority Balibar believe body causes chapter commonwealth contradiction corporeal course critique death deny despotic determined doctrine dualism Edwin Curley effects Ethics example Exclusion crisis existence external fact fear force freedom God's Hebrew Hobbes Hobbes's human ibid Ibn Ezra idea individual interpretation juridical language Leviathan liberation Locke Locke's Macherey Machiavelli Maimonides masses material Matheron matter meaning mental decision merely mind monarchy multitude nature never notion obedience opposed original passage phrase Pierre Macherey plebs political possible precisely Preface question rational readers reason refer regime reject relation revolt Sallust scholium to Proposition Scripture Second Treatise seeks servitude singular slave slavery social society sovereign Spartacus speak Spinoza Spinoza argues Spinoza's philosophy superstition Tacitus term things thought Tractatus Politicus Tractatus Theologico Tractatus Theologico-Politicus transcends translation truth vulgus words