Spinoza, Liberalism, and the Question of Jewish Identity (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780300076653)

"Steven Smith's lucid and compelling argument for writing Spinoza into the political theory canon is also a profound meditation on the Spinozan theme of religion and republican liberty."-Michael Walzer "An important book, elevating Spinoza to a deserved place beside Hobbes and Locke as one of the founders of modern political philosophy and showing the importance of 'the Jewish Question' for the whole meaning of modern liberalism."-Nathan Tarcov "A compelling book . . . a searching exposition of what was overthrown and what was built, what sacrificed and what gained, by the theological-political revolution Spinoza championed."-Peter Berkowitz, Wilson Quarterly "The book is clearly written and reveals a mastery of the writings of classical political theory. No other book covers this ground."-Choice Baruch Spinoza (1632-77)-often recognized as the first modern Jewish thinker-was also a founder of modern liberal political philosophy. This prize-winning book is the first to connect systematically these two aspects of Spinoza's legacy. 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.

Author: Steven B. Smith
ISBN-10: 0300076657
ISBN-13: 9780300076653
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 11/01/1998
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.13w x 0.65d