A Companion to Spinoza

A celebrated metaphysician, epistemologist, political philosopher, and a seminal figure of the Enlightenment, Benedict de Spinoza remains one of the most radical thinkers of the early modern period. Controversial in his time for his critiques of scripture, Spinoza is widely considered to be one of the great rationalists of the 17th century, and his thought has had a lasting influence on a range of fields including metaphysics, ethics, political theory, religion, and Judaism. A Companion to Spinoza presents a panoramic view of contemporary Spinoza studies in Europe and across the Anglo-American world. Designed to stimulate productive dialogue between the analytic and continental traditions, this extraordinary volume brings together 53 original essays from an international team of established and emerging scholars which together explore Spinoza’s philosophy, legacy, and influence and advance new ideas to direct future research. Divided into six thematically organized sections, chapters examine Spinoza’s life and background, his contributions to metaphysics and natural philosophy, his epistemology, politics, ethics, and aesthetics, and his reception in the work of interlocutors such as Kant, Schelling, Schopenhauer, and Hegel. Thoughtfully composed and expertly curated, A Companion to Spinoza is an unparalleled reference resource for researchers and scholars in Spinoza studies, students of modern philosophy, intellectual history, and the history of metaphysics, and general readers interested in the life and legacy of one of history’s most remarkable thinkers.

Notes on Contributors List of Abbreviations Introduction Yitzhak Y. Melamed Part I Life and Background 1 Spinoza’s Life Piet Steenbakkers 2 Spinoza’s Philology Piet Steenbakkers 3 Avicenna and Spinoza on the Essence and Existence Stephen R. Ogden 4 Spinoza and Maimonides On True Religion Warren Zev Harvey 5 Spinoza and Scholastic Philosophy Emanuele Costa 6 Spinoza and Descartes Denis Kambouchner 7 Spinoza’s Dutch Philosophical Background Henry Krop 8 Spinoza and Hobbes Michael LeBuffe Part II Metaphysics and Natural Philosophy 9 Spinoza’s Monistic Metaphysics of Substance and Mode Don Garrett 10 Spinoza on Eternity Pierre-François Moreau 11 Spinoza on Causa Sui Yitzhak Y. Melamed 12 Spinoza’s Physical Picture John Carriero 13 Spinoza’s Mereology Tad Schmaltz 14 Spinoza’s Metaphysics of Time Raphael Krut-Landau 15 Spinoza’s Infinities Luce DeLire 16 Spinoza on Diachronic Identity Dominik Perler 17 Spinoza on Relations Zachary Gartenberg 18 Spinoza on Numerical Identity and Time John Morrison 19 Spinoza on Universals Karolina Hübner 20 Spinoza Ontology of Power Juan Manuel Ledesma Viteri 21 Spinoza’s Modal Theory Olli Koistinen 22 Spinoza on Determination Noa Shein 23 Spinoza’s Physics Alison Peterman Part III Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind and Psychology 25 Spinoza on Human and Divine Knowledge Barnaby R. Hutchins and Ursula Renz 26 Reflexive Knowledge Kristin Primus 27 Spinoza Against the Skeptics Stephan Schmid 28 Spinoza on Ideas of Affections. Lia Levy 29 The Mind-Body Union Chantal Jacquet 30 Spinoza’s Non-Theory of Non-Consciousness Daniel Garber 31 Spinoza on the Passions and the Self Andrea Sangiacomo 32 Spinoza’s Two Paths to Enlightenment: The Serpent and the Dove Michah Gottlieb Part IV Ethics, Politics, and Religion 33 Spinoza’s Moral Philosophy Steven Nadler 34 Spinoza on the Constitution of Animal Species Susan James 35 Essence, Virtue and the State Erin Islo 36 Spinoza’s Concept of Law Pina Totaro 37 Spinoza’s Notion of Freedom Moira Gatens 38 Spinoza’s Republican Ideas of Freedom Michael A. Rosenthal 39 Spinoza and Economics Eric Schlisser 40 Spinoza and Feminism Hasana Sharp 41 Spinoza and International Law Moa De Lucia Dahlbeck 42 The Intellectual Love of God Clare Carlisle 43 Spinoza and the Scripture Dan Arbib Part V Aesthetics and Language 44 Spinoza’ Aesthetics Domenica G. Romagni 45 Spinoza on Semiotics Lornzo Vinciguerra 46 Spinoza and the Grammar of the Hebrew Language Guadalupe González Diéguez Part VI Spinoza’s Reception 47 Leibniz and Spinoza on Plentitude and Necessity Jean-Pascal Anfray 48 Spinoza in France, 1670-1970 Mogens Laerke 49 Kant and Spinoza Colin Marshall 50 Nietzsche and Spinoza Jason Maurice Yonover 51 Schelling with Spinoza on Freedom Daniel Dragicevic 52 Hegel on Spinozism and the Beginning of Philosophy José María Sánchez de León 53 Schopenhauer’s Critique of Spinoza’s Pantheism, Optimism, and Egoism Mor Segev 54 Spinoza and Popular Philosophy Jack Stetter Index