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SPINOZA AND POLITICS
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MINIMMAO RALIA THEP OLITOIFC S SEXUALIINTT HYE F IELD
Reflectioonn as DamagedL ife FRNIDESHIP OFV ISION EtienBnael ibar
THEOOORA DORNO JACQUEDSE RRIDA JACQUELIRNOES E
ISBN-139,7 8 1 844670 51 2 ISBN-139,7 8 1 844670 54 3 ISBN-139,7 8 1 844670 58 1
TranslaPteetdSe nro wdon
FORM ARX THEF UNCTIOOFN THEI NFROMATIBOONM B by
lOUIASL THUSSER CRITICISM PAULV IRIUO
ISBN-139,7 8 1 844670529 TERRYE AGLETON ISBN-139,7 8 1 844670 59 8
ISBN-139,7 8 1 844670 55 0
THES YSTEOMFO BJECTS CULTUARNED
JEANB AUDRllLARD SIGNTSA KEFNO R MATERIALISM
ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467053 6
WONDERS RAYMONDW ILLIAMS
LIBERALAINSDM Ont heS ocioloogyf L iterary IFSBoNr-1m39s,7 8 1 844670604
FRANCOM OREnl
DEMOCRACY ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467056 7 THEM ETASSTEASO F
NORBERTBOO BBIO ENJOYMENT
ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467062 8 THER ETURONFT HE
On Women andC ausality
POLITICAL SLAVOZJI ZEK
CHANTAMLO UFFE ISBN-139,7 8 1 844670 61 1
ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467057 4
SET2 ($1295i£699i$17CANI
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AESTHEATNIDCP SO LITILOCGSI COSFD ISINTEGRAOTNIT OHNES HORES OF
mEODORA DORNOW,A LTER PoststructuTrhaoluigshtat n d POLITICS
BENJAMIENR, NSTB LOCHB,E RTOLT theC laimosf C riticTahle ory JACQUERSA NCIERE
BRECHTG,E ORGL UKAcs PETERD EWS
ISBN-139,7 8 1 844675 77 7
ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467 5708 ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467 574 6
STRATEOGFDY E CEPTION
INFNACYA NDH ISTORY LATMEA RXISM
PAULV IRltiO
On theD estructoifo n AdornoO,r ,T he Persisteonfc e ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467 5784
Experience theD ialectic
GIORGIAOG AMBEN fREDRIJCA MESON POLITOIFCM SO DERNISM
ISBN-139,7 8 1 844675 71 5 ISBN-139,7 8 1 844675 753
Againstth eN ew Conformists
RAYMONDW ILLIAMS
POLITAINCDHS I STORYE MANCIPATION(S)
ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467 580 7
Montesquieu, RouMsasrexa u, ERNESTLOA CLAU
lOUISA LTHUSSER ISBN-139,7 8 1 844675 760 THEI NDIVISIBLE
ISBN-1937,8 1 84467 572 2 VERSO
REMNADIER
THEP OLITDIECSACLA RTES
FRAGNMTES Reason, Ideology and thOen Schellianngd R elated Londo•n N ew York
JEANB AUDRllLARD BourgeoPirso ject Matters
SLAVOZJ! ZEK
ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467 573 9 ANTONINOE GRI
ISBN-139,7 8 1 84467 581 4
ISBN-13, 917 884 4675 82 1
CONTENTS
PREFACBEY WARREN MONTAG vii
FOREWORD XXI
Firsptu blishbeyVd e rs1o9 98 NOTEO N EDITIONASN DT RANSLATIOONFS
Thise ditipounb lishbeyVd e rs2o0 08 SPINOZA'WSO RKS xxm
Copyrig©h tV ers2o0 08
Translat©i Poent eSrn owdon1 998
Prefa©c eW arreMno ntag1 998 1 THE SPINOZPAA RTY 1
Firsptu blishaesSd p inoezatJ ap olitique
The "FreeOldll Party" 2
Copyrig©h tP ressUensi versitdaeiF rreasn c1e9 85
Allr ighrtess erved Religioonr T heology? 5
PredestinaatinodFn r eeW ill:T heC onflicto fR eligious
Them oral riogfht thsea uthoarnsd t ranslahatvoerb eenas serted
Ideologies 9
1 3 5 71 098 6 4 2 ChurcheSse,c tsa ndP artiTehse:C risoifst heD utch
Republic 16
Verso
UK:6 MeardS treeLto,n donWI F OEG
USA:1 80Va rick StNreewe Yto,r kNY, 10014-4606 2 THE TRACTATUST HEOLOGICO-POLITICUS:
www.versobooks.com
A DEMOCRATIMCA NIFESTO 25
Versios t hei mprionftN ew Left Books Freedoomf T houghatn dt heRi ght oft heS overeign 25
Democrac"yT:h eM ostN aturalS"ta te 31
ISBN-139:7 8--814467-205-9
A PhilosopohfHy i story? 36
BritishLi brary CatalogiunPui bnlgi caDtaitao n TheL egacoyf T heocracy 42
A catalorgeuceo rfdo rt hibso oki sa vailafbrloemt heB ritiLsihb rary
Library ofC onesgrsC ataloging-inD-aPutab lication 3 THE TRACTATUSP OLITICUAS :S CIENCOEF T HES TATE 50
A catalroegc orfdo rt hibso oki sa vailafbrloemt heL ibraorfyC ongress After 1672A: New Ordero fP roblems 51
TheP lano ft heT ractatPuosl iticus 56
Printaendd b oundb yS candBooAkB ,S weden
Righta ndP ower 59
VI CONTENTS
The" BodyP olitic" 64
DecisioTnh:e S oulo ft heS tate 71
4 THE ETHICS:A POLITICAANLT HROPOLOGY 76
Sociability 76 PREFACE
WhatI sO bedience? 88
WARRENM ONTAG
"Ethicasn"d C OITIIIl unication 95
5 POLITIACNSD COMMUNICATION 99
Powera ndF reedom 101 EtiennBea libbaergi nsh iss tudoyf S pinozap'hsi losopwhiyt h the
"DesirIesM an'sV eryE ssence" 105 argumentth aitt c annobte understooads i fi te xisteodn lyo n the
transhistorifi ncoalt,a historipclaalno,ef p uret heorayn dt hato,n
TheA porioaf t heC OITIIIl unitayn dt heQ uestioonf
the contrarye,a cho fh ism ajort extmsu stb e understooads a n
Knowledge 113
interventioinn a specifpiocl iticaanld p hilosophciocnajlu ncture.
Fort hirse ason, accotrodB ianlgib airti, s i mpossibtlose e parate
CHRONOLOGY 125
Spinozam'est aphysifrcosm hisp oliticass,if thel attweerr ean
FURTHERRE ADIGN 129
applicatioofnt hef ormer.I nsteaSdp,i nozap'hsi losopmhuys tb e
INDEX 132 seena sp oliticianli tse ntireteyv:e ni tmso sts peculatiuvtet erances
constiturtees ponsteosc ertapionl iticiamlp erativaensd a reti edt o
specihfiics torisctaakle sT.h usB,al ibar'tist leS,pi noaznaPd o li(asti cs
opposetdo "Spinozaan d PoliticPahli losophyr"e)fu,s east t he
outsethte separatioofnp hilosopihnyt ot hes peculatiavned t he
practicaa sle,p aratitohna ti si tselaf perfecetx pressioofn t he
dualisms ofm inda ndb odya ndo ft heu niverasnadlt hep articular
that Spinsooz vae hementlrye jectealdl: p hilosopihsyp olitical,
inescapaebmlbyo diedn,o mattehro w itm ay straitno d enyt his
facti,n thep ractifcoarmls of its historiecxiaslt encSeu.c ha n
approacthop hilosopdhemany dsm uch (perhatposo m uch,i twil l
be saido)f t her eadenro:t o nly mustw e reconstrtuhceti nternal
ordeorf a rgumenttsh acto nfeurp on giav ent exti tcso herenacned
thus itss elf-sufficibeuntcw ye, m usts imultaneouunsdleyrs tantdh e
waya texbte longst oa ndd ependosn a histooruyts idiet sewlhfo se
playo ff orceisn,d ifferteont th ec harms ofr easomna,y precisely
underminteh ev eryc oherencwee thoughwte had discovered,
surgingu p,a sB alibarh asp uti te lsewheret,o discompoosre
"incompleat egi"v ent ext.Slu chn otionswil l nots urpritsheo se
1E tienne Balibar," TheI nfinitCeo ntradiction"Y,a kFrench Studiesn,o 8.8 1,9 95.
viii PREFACE PREFACE IX
familiar withB alibairn'tse llecittuianle rawryh,i chi su ndeniably interiensS tp inoztao t het heoreticioaftn hse S econdI nternational
markebdy a concernf ort hea cto fr eadipnhgi losophtiecxatsl. (notabtlhye R ussiaMna.rxi st Plekhanowvh,o claimetdo have
Of coursiet,i sn oto nlyS pinozaw'osr kt hawte mustr eada s
discussSepdi nozwai thE ngelss,h ordy betfhoerl ea ttedre'ast h),
simultaneocuosnljyu nctuarnad"l e ternal" ("fromt hep oinotf v iew
who preumas blyd erivedfr om Spinoztah e" implacadbeltee rmin­
ofe ternity"a,s Spinpouztai t)b,u tB alibaars'w se llF.o rg ivetnh e ism"t hati nspiretdh eirre visioofnM arx'tsh ought.I4n fact,a s
dosea ttentitoont hel ettoefrS pinozaL'asti nt exts( andt her eader
Spinozsac hol(aarn df ormepru piolf Al thusseArn)d reT oselha s
will noteh ow frequendBya libatrr'asn slaPteotre,Sr n owdonh,a s arguerde cendthye, histoorfyM arxist "detourst"h rougShp inoza
beenc ompelletdo retranslattheec itatifroonms Spinozan,o t
(tou seA lthussmeert'asp hoirs)f arr ichearn dm orec ompletxh an
becausteh ee xistitnrga nslatairoein nsa dequabtuetb ecausBea li­ Anderson'nso teS Uggests;a5 definitiavcec ounotf thish istory
bar'asr gumenits s oc losetluyn edt o thes ubdetioefsS pinoza's
remaintso b e writteInn. e achs ucceeding poefrc iriosdiw si thin
Latina)n dt o theb aroquceo mplexitieosf p owera ndp olitiicsn
Marxismu,s ually occabsyi oan setda bilisaantidoe nx pansioofn
late-seventeenthH-oclelnatnuidrt,iy s e asyt of orgeBta libatre'xst
capitalaftiesrm a ne conomiacn d/opro liticcrailst ihsa wta sh ailed
possessietsso wn conjuncturreaall itItyc .a nnobte understood as" finali"n,t he1 890st,h e1 920st,h e1 970asn d1 980sp,r ominent
simplays a commentaroyn Spinozbau ti sa lsaon interventiin on
Marxists, many ofw hom (fromT halheimteorN egrid)o notfi t
theh istorfiicealtldo w hichi tb elongs.
the profiloef th e WesternM arxist paintbeydA ndersont,u rnedt o
At thisp ointr,e adearrse l iketloyr ecaBlall ibaera'rlsy c areears
Spinozap'hsi losophy.
a studenatn dl atear c olleagoufeL ouiAsl thussdeurr,i nwgh ich
Why, oafll thes eventeenth-cepnhtiulroys ophseorsm,e of
Balibparro ducead s ignificabnotd yo fw orko nM arxa ndM arxism.
whom,s ucha sH obbesa ndG assendaip,p eafarr m ore" materialist"
When thec ollectiwvoer kR eadgi Cnapitaalp peareidn 1 965,its thanS pinoz(aw hosEe thiaftcse,r allb,e ginsw itha discussoifo n
audiencpeu zzleodv ert her epeaterde ferencteos S pinozaa, God), haMvaerxi sts beend rawnt o SpinozaB?e ginningw ith
philosopwhheors ec oncerns seemeds uspicioduissltya frnotm , if
Feuerbacwhh,o set heoroyf a lienatiiosnf arm oreS pinozistth an
nota ntithetitcoa,tl h osoef M arxism.I tw asw idelsyu specttehda t
hash eretofboereen a cknowledgtehde,r wea sa recognitiotnh at
behintdh et extosf t hipse riolda ya fully developiendt erpretation
Spinoza'trse atmento f" God,o rN aturew"a sf arm oreth orough­
of Spinozae,v ena full-blowSnp inozism wtahsa otff eredt o
goinign i tse limination ofe verfyo rmo ft ranscendaenndcie d eality
unwittinrge adeirnst heg uisoef M arxismP.e rrAyn dersosnp oke
thant hew orko fman y self-descmraitbeerida liIsntd se.c larGiondg
form any whehne a rgueidn C onsaitdieoornnW se sternM arxisthma t
tob eth e imman entc ausoef t hew orldS,p inozrae jectneodto nly
"thes ystemaitincd uctioofnS pinozian thoi storimcaatle rialibsym
everyd ualisomf s piraintd m attebru,t a lstoh ed ualisomfsu nity
Althussearn d hisp upilwsa s intellecttuhaelm loys ta mbitious
andd iversitoyf,t het emporaaln d theet ernalI.n s hortE,n gels
attempttoc onstruac ptr ioprh ilosophdiecsacle fnto rM arxa ndt o
seemetdo b es peakiansga Spinozriastth etrh ana sa Marxist when
develoapb rupdyn ew theoretidciarle ctiofnosr c ontemporary
hed efinemda terialaists hme e ffortto " conceinvaet ure ajsui stit s ,
Marxismfr om it."2
withouatn yf oreiagdnmixt ure",6 thaits n,a turaes a n infinityo f
Andersond ida dmitif, onlyi na footnotteh,a Atl thussaenrd
singuleaxirs tencAensd. whileu,n tilr ecendMya,r xistr eadinogfs
companyw eren ott hef irtsota ssiSgnp inozaa p rivilergoeldie n Spinoztae ndetdo f ocuosn theE thiatcst hee xpensoeft heT ractatus
the" prehistoofrd yi alectmiactaelr ialitsomu "s,eA ugusTth alhei­ Theolgoico-Po(lTriP)t aincdtu hseT rctaatuPso lit(iTP)c,tu hsem ateria­
mer'sp hraseF.o llowinLgu cioC ollettih,o3w everh,e relegated
lisomf S pinozaa'psp roacthon atureex tendtsoh ise xaminatioofn
2P erryAn dersonC,o nseiridaotnosnW esteMrna rxis(mL ondNoenw:L ettB ook1s9,7 6). • Anderspo.6n 5,.
p.65. 5A ndre Tosel,Du materidaeSl pisimneo(p zara iEsdi:ti onKimse, 1994).
3L uciCoo lleFttiro,m R oussteoaL ue niSnt:u diineI sd eolaongdSy o ci(eNteyw Y ork: 6 FrieEndrgieclsLu,h d wig Feuerabnadtch h Een dcif ClassiGercamla nPh ilosop(hMyo scow:
MonthlyR eviewP re1s9s7,2) . Progress Pu1b9l69i)ps,.6h 7e.r s.
PREFACE Xl
x PREFACE
politicwarli titnegn dt os eehim asa classilciable rianwl h osew ork
socialli fei:n deedi,t c ouldn otb e otherwigisvee n Spinoza's
onem ay discovtehre t enetosfm ethodologiicnadli vidualiasnmd
insistetnhcaett heh uman worldi sn ota "kingdomw ithian
rationcahlo icteh eorBya,l ibaarr'gsu menmtasy wellbe tak en asa n
kingdom"p,a rot fn aturbeu ts omehown ots ubjetcoti tdse ter­
attemptt op utL eniniwsotr dsi n the mouotfho ne ofA dam
minationFsr.o m thisr efusaolf transcendecnocmee sS pinoza's
Smith's miolsltus trifoourse bears.
argumentth apto litirciaglhc ta.no nlyh avem eaninwgh eni ti sc o­
Bothi nterpreta-tioSnpsi nozian t heg uisoef Marx or the
extensiwviet hp oweri nt hep hysicaaclt,u asle nseS.o ciettyh en
ceasetso b e characterbiys ae dgi ven seto fri ghtso r lawsa nd invers-e if inevitambalye n,o w be saindo nethelteosb se w rong.
Iti st rue thaBtal ibart,o gethweirt hA lthussaenrd o therssu cha s
becomeisn steaa dr elatioonf c onflictifnogr ceFsu.r thewrh,e n
Pierre Machereyd,u ring their ofpc eorliloedc tiavcet ivviiteyw ed
righcte asteosb ef ormatlh,e c entrpaoll iticraell atiocnan n ol onger
Spinozaas a privilergeefde renpcoei nitn t heiprr ojeocftr eading
bet habte tweetnh ei ndividausap lo ssesosfor ri ghatn dt hes tate;
Marx. Iti sn otd ifficultto seet heal lureo fS pinozwah,o ,a s
whenr ighti sc o-extenswiivtehp owert,h ei ndividwuhaol al one
conceivbeyd thigrso up,w as perhaptsh em ostt horoughgoing
exercilsietstp loew eri ss upplanbtye wdh atS pinozianh isl aswto rk
materialiinst th eh istoorfyp hilosop(heyv eifn hism aterialaiss m,
callfso,l lowiTnacgi tuSsal,l usatn dM achiavetlhleim ,u ltitudoer ,
Balibar remwaarskp sr,o foundhleyt erodoIxn)a .d ditioSnp, inoza
ast het ermi sr enderheedr et,h em asseTsh.u s,a ta time whent he
waso neo ft hef ewp hilosophteoar csk nowledtgheep oliticsatla kes
conceptufaolu ndatioofnl si beralwiesrmei nt hep roceosfsb eing
noto nlyo ft hec ontenotf h isw ork,t hati st,h ea rgumenotsf
establisShpeidn,o zhaa d alreaddye nouncetdh e" constitutional
whichi ti sc omposedb,u tp erhapesv enm orei mportanodfyt he
illusio(ntsob" o rrowL eninp'hrsa seo)f f ormald emocraciynw hich
formi n whicht hesaer gumenatrs er ealisae fdo, rm whicwhi ll
powerleisnsd ividuals "porsisgehsttshsea dt""t housanodfso bsta­
determiwnhee thert hep hilosophweorr'dsswil l fallo n deaefa rso r
clesp"r eventtehde mfr om eveerx ercising.7
whethetrh eywil l allorwe adetrosb othr ecogniasned s eizteh e
But if Balibaarn d hisc olleaguweesr e onces uspectoefd
opportunfiotryi mprovemenAst .S pinozrae markeodf S cripture,
advanciSnpgi noziisnmt heg uisoef M arxismt,o daiyt wil l rather
a texits t ob ej udgesda creodrp rofangeo,o do re vilno,t b yv irtue
be theo ppositthea its s uspectoefd S pinozaan dP olitBiacsl:ib ar,
ofw hati ts ayso,re veni ttsr utbhu,t b yi tsp owert om ovep eople
withh ise mphasoins the centralityo f" thef eaorf t hem assesi"n
tom utuallo vaen ds upporAt p.h ilosophwiocrakli st huasl wayasn
Spinozap'hsi losop(hwyh icshi gnaal rse cognitiotnh atth em asses
interventiionna concrete sitaunadti isto onb ej udgedb y the
andt heimro vementcso nstittuhteep rimary objecotf p olitical
effectsi tp roducienst hissi tuatiThison . muchc anb egl eanedfr om
analysiwilsl) ,u ndoubtedlbye v iewebdy criticasn da dmirearsl ike
thew orksp ublishbeyd t hespeh ilosophinet rsh es ixtifreosm, t heir
as" advanciMnarxigs m by otherm eans"i n the1 980sa, time
scattebruetdp rovocative refteoSr peinncoes zWah.i let hey cer­
markedb y itso wn feaorf t hemas s esa nda consequernett urnt o
tainlrye adS pinozwai thA lthusseern'cso uragemeinftn ,o th is
classilciable raliinbs omt hp olitiacnsd e conomicIsn.d eedi,n1 985
Balibapru blishaend e ssaiyn thei ndependeLenftt journalL es guidancteh,e yn everthedliedsn so tp roducaen ys ustaiwnoerdk o n
TempsM oderneesnti ded" Spinoztah,e A nti-OrwellT:h e Fearo f Spinozcae,r tainlnyo thinrge semblithnegi r" readingso"f other
theM assesi"n w hichh e citetsh eu ntimely( itnemspteifJna turoef philosophIenrsd.e edde,s pirtuem ourtso t hec ontrairtya ,p peatrsh at
Althussheirm sewlrf otea nd even lectured ovne Srpyi nloiztat le
Spinozap'osl itiinca s ti me thaste e"si nm assm ovementosn lyt he
(althougihti sw orthr emarkihnogw manyo ft hem osti mportant
figureo f a radichails toriecvaill "I.n8 t hea nglophonew orld
Spinozsac holairsn Francteo dayw erem embers ofA lthussse r'
especiawlhleyr,e t hef ewt oh avet akean n intereisntS pinoza's
circlAel)t.h ussears'sse rtiionn Elemencifts Self-Criticitshmath e,
7V .I .L eniThne, ProletariaRevno lutiando nt hRe eneKaguatsdkye (p eking: Forgeni Balibaanrd M acherey" were SpinozwihsitcshA" n,d ersont ooka s
LanguagesP res1s97.0 p).2, 6 . confirmatioonfh isw orsstu spicicoonnsc erning Althusser's reliance
•E tiennBealib ar." Spinlo'zaaOn rtiw ell"Les. TempsM odemes,n o4.1 S.e ptem1b9e8r5 , on pre-Marxtihsotu ghwta,s n othingm oret hana retrospective
p.37.
.J
XlI PREFACE PREFACE xiii
constructtihoenv ,e ry condiotifow nh ichw asa renaissainnc e showedt hatth em ostc ommoni nterpretatoifoSnpsi nozcao'nsc ep­
FrencShp inozsat uditehsa tto okp lacaett hee ndo ft hes ixties. tiono fs ubstanacned i tcso nstituenatt tributaensdm odesd idn ot
For,o fc ourset,h ey weren ott heo nlyp hilosophoefrsn otei n
correspotnoSd p inozap'hsi losopahsiy t w asa ctually stateIdn.t he
Francet o have" discoverSepdi"n oza tihne s ixtiAenso.t her
mostf undamentsaeln seit,a ppeartehda nto oneb eforhea dr eally
Marxista,l thougohf an orientatdiioffne renfrto m and even
reaSdp inoztao t hel ettex:.
opposetdo A lthusselra'bso,u roedn whatw ouldb ecomeo neo f
Evena st hesther eew orksr ecastth es tudoyf S pinozah,o wever,
them onumentosf c ontemporSapryi nozsac holarsAhliepx.a ndre
theys haread c oncernt od emonstrthaet ea rchitectuonniitocyf h is
MatheronI'nsd iveitcod mum unacuhtee Szpi no(za1 96a9r)gu etdh at
majowro rksP.a radoxicaltlhye,v eryc arwei thw hicht heyad hered
Spinozap'rso jewcats o neo f" disalienawtihoon"s,eu ltimagtoea l
tot hel ettoefrS pinozat'esx tso penedt hew ay toa new seto f
wasa "communisomf m inds"d,e fmeda st hew holeo fh umanity
readinegsq,u 31i ni mportantcoe the first, whicha cbkengoawnl ­by
becoming" a totalictoyn sciooufs i tself'A.t9 t hes ameti me,
edgingt hatc ertauinnd eniabcloen tradictiocnosn,fli ctsa ndt en­
Matheronc'lso sree adionfgS pinozpao'lsi tictaelx ts( lonnge glected
sionso,v erlookoerde xplainaewda yb y thep hilosophnearsm ed
infa vouro fh iss o-call"emde taphysiwcrailti"n gse,s peciathlel y
abovet,r aversehdi st extsT.h e firstof theseP,i erreM acherey's
Ethicsa)n dh isi nsisteonnc teh ei mportanocfet hem ultituadned
HegeoluS pinozapap,e ariend1 97M9a.c heretyo okH egelr'esa ding
of massm ovementsf orS pinozac ertainilnflyu encedt hey oung .
ofS pmoza,a sp resentiendTh e HistooryfP hilpohsyoan dTh e Science
philosophaerrso undA lthuss[enr f. acta,t A lthusseirn'vsi tation,
ofLcgic , aso neo ft hem ostr igoroaunsd c ohereinntt erpretaotfi ons
Matherowna sa frequengtu eslt ecturaetrt heE coleN ormale
Spinozae verp resentaendd an interpretabtiaosne ds olidolny
Superieu(rweh ereA lthusswears form any yearsh eado f the
textual evidence. Hegelo'fsS picnriotziacq eunetr.e do n the
philosopphryo gramm e),t ogethweirt ha notheprh ilosopwhheors e I
absencfreo m thEe thiocsft wo keyc onceptFsi.rs ts,u bstanasc e
highloyr iginarle adinogf S pinozaa ttracteAdl thusseirn'tse rest:
GilleDse leuzeD.e leuzeS'spi nozeatIe probldeeml e' expression subjectivSiptiyn:o zdai dn otr ecognisteh eB ilndguo fs ubstance
strivintgo becomei tsetlhfr ougthh ei nteriorisaotifo int sealsf
(196,b8 y) focusionng three lativemlarygi nanlo tiono fe xpression
otheSre.c onds,u bstancceo uldo nly becosmueb jetchtr ougthh e
inS pinozat,a ughta ne ntireg eneratioonfs cholatrors e ad Spinoza
operatioofn thes econda bsencto ncept":t hel abouorf the
againtshte gr ain.[ nt hei nterstiocfet sh eg eometricoarld eorf t he
Ethitcsh,a ti s,i n thep refaceasp,p endicaensd scholitao the J negative"t hata lonew ouldp ermistu bstantcoe b ecomei tself
through ntehgea tioonf i tso wn negationM.a chereayr guetsh at
propositiocnosu,l bde f oundas econedt hicnso,ts om ucho ffsetting
l thea bsencHeesg elc laimetdos eew erei nfa cth iso wn blinsdp ots
thef irasstd istililtimsno gs ti mportatnhte mesP.r obabltyh em ost
(andp erhaps Sepvienno zaa'ssw ellS)p:i nozhaa da lready formu­
importawnotr ko fth e periohdo,w everw,a sth e firstv olumeo f
MartiaGl ueroulSt'pisn oz(aDi euE:t ihqule)( 1986)a, n earleyi ght­ latead c ritiquoeft hev ery posititohnasHt e gelr ightly regaasr ded
hundred-pacgoemm entaryo n part[ of theE thiGcsu.e roult's necessaryt o hiso wn dialectic,i fie tvw eans leftt oS pinoza's
approacshh arewdi th oth"erre adings("o fMarx and Freudf,o r readetrso e laboriattful el y.
exampleo)f theti me a scrupulouast tentitoon t hel etter of Didt himse an thSpaitn ozap'rso leptriecj ectioofns ubstanacse
Spinoza's text, attot aecmcpotuinnftgo rt het otaliotfy w hat subjeacntd t hel abouorf t hen egative invalaindyan toetido no f
Spinozsaa i(di np arIt )a ndt od o soe xhaustiveilnya , w ay that histoarsyd ialecMtiacc?h erey's spainrsiwteterod t hiqsu estiownas
wouldi na ni mportasnetn sree ndearl fult urec ommentarsyup erflu­ ar esoundinnog:
ousT.h isp rocedurfea,frr om producian dgr y( andp rolicxo)p yo f
Itis Spinozwah o refutetsh eH egeliadni alectiBcu.t doest himse an
Spinoza'tse xty,i eldesdo me verys urprising rGeuseurlotusl.t
thaitn d oings oh e refuteesv eryd ialectiMci?gh ti tn ot juas swte llb e
saitdh awth ath e refuteisn t heH egeliadni alectiiscp reciswehlayt is
9Al exandreMa theron,I ndievtcoi mdmuu nachuetizSp ionza(p aris:M inui1t9,6 9p).6, 1 2. notd ialectiwchala,t Ma rx himseclalfle di tsi dealism?i tiF sno erc essary
PREFACE xv
xiv PREFACE
tos eta sidteh ei deaa ccorditnogw hiche very dialewcotiucl db e in originality ofB alibaSrp'isn oaznad P oli.Tt oi ac fsarg reateexrt ent
itselifd ealoirsr te actiavsea bsolutweiltyh oupth ilosophiinctaelr efsotr: thana nyo theprr eviowuosr k,B alibairsm' sa rkedb ya refusatlo
a materialh istoryo f thought,th e expression "deivaelreyc tiisc " dissocitahteie n ternalw orldo ft het extfrso m histocroyn ceivaesd
completedley voiodf m eannig.10 ane xteriaosrif , t heyc onstituitnte hde ri ensemblae " kingdom
wi� a kingd�o".I nstehadep, o siats c ontinuibteyt weewnri ting
Fromt hec onfrontatiboent weeHne gela ndS pinozeam ergetsh e
andh istotrrye,a tIntgh efi rsta sa prolongatiooftn h es econTdo.
possibiolfia t dyi alectic wtihtenh eoguatti oonf t hen egatioann d
separantaet ure/his(tfoornrya turfaer, from beinga n eternally
thusw ithout the overcoming of contradiction, without fmality of
recurrecnotn stainstfu ,l lyh istorijcuasalts, h istotrhya,it s h,u man
anyk inda, d ialecotiftc h ep ositive. ·
histoirsyp ,a rotf n aturceo nsidearsea d p rocewsist houat s ubject
Two yearlsa tetrh ec onversation conwtiitnhtu heepd u blication
or goals)fr om thew orld of idease,v eni fo nlyt o establish
ofAn tonioN egri'Ls 'anomsaellggiviaaa w,h ichw astr anslatiendt o
corr�spondenbceetsw eetnh emw,o uldb et or einstparteec istehley
Frencthh ef ollowiynega re,q uippewdi thp refacebsy Deleuze,
dualIsm tShpaitn ozcar iticiastse su chl engtBha.l ibiasrc ompelled
Machereayn dM atheroTnh.i s" extraordinMaarxirsyt analysiass" ,
toe stabliinsfur h greatdeert aitlh ane arliceorm mentatotrsh e
Matherocna lleidt ,m'a1r kedt hef irstre centa ttempt to move
conflicts andc ontradictioofnt sh eD utchR epubliicn t hel atter
beyondt extuaaln alysist oa consideraotfit ohne h istorical and
�aloff t hes eventeecnetnht urfyo,rt hesaer et hev eryc ontradic­
matericailr cumstaonfcS epsi nozap'hsi losophwirciatiln gN.e gri
tlonst hafto nna ndi nfonSnp inozap'hsi losophical evpernoa jte ct,
arguetdh atth eS pinoziasnto malwya sl inketdo t hea nomalous
itsm ost" metaphysical".
roloef H ollanidnth e worledc onomys,p ecifictaoli ltsyp rematur­
Balibdaers criab esso cieatpyp arenddiyv ideidn tot woc amps:
itya sa societthya hta dc onsciouasblayn donietds etlotf h e utopian
on theo ne sidet,h eu rbana nd maritimeb ourgeoiswiheo,
lureo ft hec apitalist Tmhaer ekaertlS.yp inozaa,rg uedN egri,
accumulattreedm endowuesa ltdhu ring Ntehteh erland"sG'o lden
exhibitae tde nsiboent weean N eo-Platontihsamwt a st hep hilos­
Age"o fc ommercieaxlp ansiaonnd w ho wereu niteadr ounad
ophiceaxlp ressoifom na rkeitd eoloagnyd a ni ncipimeantte rialism.
politicdaolc trionfre e publicaannidsa m p eculiatrollye rfaonntn o f
HisN eo-Platoneimspmh asistehdep rioroiftu yn itoyv erd iversity,
Calvinitshma etm bracerde ligipoluusra liasnmd s cientipfriocg ress;
theo neo vert hem any,t hes ameo vert hed iffereFnutr.t heurn,i ty,
on theo therp,ri marilryu ralla ndownegrsr,o upeadr oundt he
theo nea ndt hes amew erea ltlh eo utcomoef a mediatiotnh at
Houseo fO ranget,h eN etherlanwdosu'l d-breo yafalm ilys,u p­
overcamdei versiatnyd d ifferenScuec.h a ni dealipsemr sisetveedn
portebdy t hem ajoriotfyC alviniwshtos h opedt oe ndr epublican
inttoh ef irtswto p artosft heE thics,co nstitutiwnhga tN egrcia lled
governmenta ndins tall a monarchical-thesoycsrtaetiWhmci. l e it
Spinozaf'isrs pth ilosophical foTuhned Tartioantc.ut Tsah elgooico­
Politicusi,ntum , exhibitae tde nsiboent weeanj uridiciadle ology �st;,u e thaStp inozsau pporttehdef onnebrl oca gaintshte" Orang­
ISts (andw asfr ienda ndt utotro m anym emberso ft hem ost
of thes ociaclo ntracatn d a recognitioofn t hep ower( and
pro�entR epublicfuniliaens ), neithheirs p hilosophical project
simultaneotuhselr yi ght)o f them ultitudTeh.e sep hilosophical
�orm,d eedD,u tchs ocieittsye lcfa nb er educetdot hiasp parendy
tensiofinnsa llfyo undt heirre solutiinot nh em aterialoifsth me
maturSep inoza( partsI II-Vo f theE thitcso,g ethweirth the snnpleo ppositiboent weedne mocraacnyd a bsolutiasnmd,b etween
superstitioann de nlightenmeInfwt e. f olloBwa libarre'asd ionfgt he
unfinishTerda tcutPaso lit,aic muast)erialismo fs urfaacnedss ingular­
first:m d only exposoiftiSopni nozat'hse ologiacnadlp olitivciaelw s
itiewsi thoumte diatioonr t ranscendaenndca e p olititchaelo royf
publishdeudr inhgi sl ifetimet,h eT ractaThteuosl ogico-Powlei ticus,
thec onstituptoiwveero ft hem ultitude.
mays eei ta sb otha c ritiqoufea nda w arning toh ipsu tativael lies.
Iti st hicso ntextth aatl lowuss t oa pprecitahteep owera nd
Certainmloys to ft hew ork( fifteeonf i ttsw entcyh aptewrsa)s
10P ierrMea cherHeye,g elSpoiounz a( pariMsa:s per1o9,7 9p).2, 5 9. de:r?tedt od iminishinpgo wtehreo fs uperstitioann dt herebtyh e
IIAn tonioN egri, L'ao nmalsiaeu vaPugeis:s acnee tp oul/cohie'Sz p inoz(ap arPiress:s es
UniversitaidreesF rance,1 982). p. 19. abiliotfty h ec leriecnaelm ieosft heR epublitcoe xploirte ligiionn
J
XVl PREFACE PREFACE xvii
theiart tempttso m obilitshee p eoplagainset theR egentSsp.i noza English andF rencihn terlonpeecress sitaa steerdi oefsw ars opposed
systematically undermines evtehrayGt o dp'ossw isli(lbw ihliicthy by ther uraell itaensd t heu rbanm asseAsn.d therhea sb eenn o
hed efmeass ther egulwaorr kingosfn aturcea)n b e decipheriend statSep,i nozrae calaltts h eb eginninogf c haptXeVrI Io ft heTTP ,
unusuanla turoalc currenc(emsi racloersb )y a "deeperi"n terpreta­ thahta sn oth adm oret of eafrro m itosw n peoplteh anfr om any
tiono fS criptuTrheo.s ew ho claitmo b ed ivineilnys piroerdw ho externaeln emy.C aughtb etweean Republicpaanr toyf p rogress
claimt o soerek now ther eamle aninogf n atur(ei tdse stiny) or whosed emocratfieca turweesr em oref ormatlh anr eaaln dw hose
Scripture have tsaikmepanln yd a ttemptetdo p ersuade otthoe rs policiweesr ed ictatbeyd then eedso f a fabulouswleya lthy
take theiorw n imaginatiofno rr ealiBtuy.t thaet tacokn any minoritoyn, t heo neh and,a nda partoyf m onarchicraela ction
possibiolfia tny a ppeatlo t hes upernaturaasBl a, libaarrg uesh,a d andr eligiofuunsd amentalism twhieat cht isvuep porotft hem asses,
onee xtraordincahrayr acteriitsw taiscc a:r rioeudt i nt hen ameo f on theo theSrp,i noza infa ct,a sB alibasrh owse,x presstehde
religitohna,rt e alm of thei maginatitohna ti mpelasl lp eoplteo perspectivoefa " freedomp artsyt itlolb ec reated".
lookf orh iddemne aningsa ndu ltimaetned si nt heo ccurrencoefs In 1672t,wo yearsa ftert hep ublicatoifo tnh e TTP, the
nature (whfiocSrhp ,i noza, includesa nsdwo hciicehti yst) h ust o Republifce luln dert heb lowso fa massm ovementw hoses trength
somee xtent inescTahpeam bolsetp. o werfula nde ffectivaer guments andf erocisttya rtcloendt emporoabrsye rveTrhse. T ractatuPso liticus,
against religiomnu stt herefobree f ormulatiendr eligiotuesrm s, arguabSlpyi nozar'ess pontsoe a nd analysiso f thef alolf D utch
systematitcraalnlsyl atthienl ga nguaogfet heoloignyt ao language republicanirsemm,a ineudn finisheTdh.e rew as no urgency
ofr easoonr a tl easstt rugglitnogm akes uchtr anslatipoons sible. attachteodi ts appearanictew :a sn ota work designfedo rt he
Much,a lthoubgyh n o meansa llo,f h isa rgumenetxp ressevdi ews consumptioonf t hel iterraetaed ipnugb liactl argaes,w ast heTT P.
sharebdy a significannutm bero fR epublicsaunp porters. Therei sl ittolren o mentioonf r eligioinn th e TP; iti ss trictal y
The politiccahla pterso f the TTP area differenmta tter treatoins peo litiIctis s.n o accideanstB, a libmaari ntaitnhsa,tt h e
altogetheWrh.e n Spinozaa nnouncetsh atr ighits c o-extensive work enwdist ha fragment ofa chapteorn democrac-ya ltlh e
withp owera ndt habti gf iseha tl ittfliesb hy sovereirigng htt,h ere mores og iveSnp inozaa'tst empttom ove beyondt hec onception
canb el ittdloeu btt hahte iss peakinnogt a bouitn dividsuuablj ects ofd emocracays a formals ysteamn dt ogra sp itas an actuality
orc itizenbsu ta boutt he" rightfurlu"l eorfst heD utchR epublic. subjetcott hee bbsa ndf lowo fm assm ovementsw,h osed esires
Fort heya ppeatro b elietvhea tth eilre galittyh,e i"rl egitimacy", anda ctiocnasn nobte predictienda dvancIet.i si nt heT P that
offerss omeg uarantoerep rotectaigoani ntshte iern emieesv,e na s Spinoztaa kehsi sp ostulactoensc erning poweri nt heT TPt ot heir
theiern emiesh avem obilisae sdu bstanmtaijaolr iotfyt hep opula­ logiccaoln clusioInfsr .i ghetq ualpso wer,t hent hei ndividual
tiona gaintshte m,r enderithneg R egentse'x erciosfse o meo ft heir cannobte theu niotf a nalysisi:n dividuaalsl onhea vel ittlpeo wer.
rights impossibHleen.c eS pinozaa'xiso m tharti ghetq ualsp ower Insteaadtt, h ec entreo fSpinozpao'lsi ticaanla lyissit sh em ultitude,
noto nlys ervesa sa warning toH ollandR'esp ublicraulne rtsh at whose support, acqourio epspcoesnictiedo ent erminetsh er ighotf
theirri ghtt or ulies d iminishdiainlgyi np roportiotnot hei ncrease the( individoura clo llectsiovvee)r eiIgnno .p positiotnor eaders
int hep hysicpaolw ero ft heiern emiebsu,t al sor emindtsh emt hat likLee wis Fewuheor seei nS pinozaa puref eaorf t hemas s es,
theo nlye ffectivdee fencoefth eirr egimei sa countemro bilisation Balibaarrg uetsh aift a massm ovemento verthrtehwe R epubliac ,
rathetrh ani ncreasiniglmyp otenatp pealtso legaliStuyc.h a feaorf th e masseasn dt heipro were qualplrye venttehdes olidifica­
warning, howevero,n lyr evealetdh eu ndemocratinca turoef tioonf a monarchic-thesoycsrtaeitmni p co st-RepublHioclalna nd.
Dutchd emocracTyh.e R epublicainnfa sc tc onstitutaeno dl igarchy The multitude, wwihlinlco ht p ermiat v ioleonrti rratiornualle r
whosew ealth gthaevme, fora time atl eastth,ep owert or ulbeu t tor ulvee ryl ongt,h erefomrues tb ec onsideraetl de aspto tenaltlyi
whichi ncreasisneglryv etdo a lienaptoep ulasru pporets,p eciaasl ly ast hec ollectibveea reorf r easoang aintshted estructpiavses ioonfs
thed efencoef t heierx tensiovvee rseacso mmerciianlt erefrsotms a singlei ndividouras lm all grouipn doivfi duBaultsw .h ati st he