Spinoza, liberalism, and the question of Jewish identity
By: Steven B. Smith.
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: New Haven
Language: eng
Number of pages: 270
Subjects: Spinoza, Benedictus de, 1632-1677; Jews -- Identity; Judaism and philosophy; Liberalism; Philosophy and religion; Free thought
Description: Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) - often recognized as the first modern Jewish thinker - was also a founder of modern liberal political philosophy. This book is the first to connect systematically these two aspects of Spinoza's legacy. Steven B. Smith shows that Spinoza was a politically engaged theorist who both advocated and embodied a new conception of the emancipated individual, a thinker who decisively influenced such diverse movements as the Enlightenment, liberalism, and political Zionism.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-259) and indexes.