Description
Book SynopsisIn Spinoza and the Philosophy of Love, Michael Strawser provides a new reading of Spinoza as a philosopher of love, and one who centered in his thought an ethically qualified conception of noble love. Strawser examines the threefold conception of love found in Spinoza’s Ethics and argues that what is most important for Spinoza’s philosophy is a unified conception of love centered on nobility (amor sive generositas). This active conception of love can conquer hatred and bring people together. Situating Spinoza’s philosophy of love within both Jewish and Western philosophical traditions, Strawser investigates questions in the philosophy of love together with Spinoza and thinkers such as Saadia Gaon, Maimonides, Leono Ebreo, Tullia d’Aragona, and René Descartes. He shows how Spinoza deepens our understanding of amorous perfectionism and how this reading of Spinoza’s philosophy of love serves as both a corrective to problematic readings, such as those found in Isaac Bashevis Singer and Emmanuel Levinas, and a counter to speciesism. With careful examination of Spinoza’s writings, Strawser demonstrates that the goal of his philosophy is best understood as the love of other people who are to be helped and united with in friendship: Spinoza’s philosophy of love calls for collective nobility.
Trade Review"Strawser offers an engaging reading of Spinoza as a systematic philosopher who makes love the heart of his system. His approach addresses difficult questions raised by Spinoza's ethical views and shows the unity of Spinoza's Ethics and his political works."
-- Michael LeBuffe, University of Otago
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Amor sive Generositas
Chapter 1: From Jewish Love Lessons to Amorous Perfectionism
Chapter 2: Between the Courtesan and the Lens-grinder
Chapter 3: Descartes’s Illogic of Love
Chapter 4: The Specter of Speciesism
Chapter 5: Levinas and the Spinoza Question
Conclusion: Towards Collective Nobility
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
