Syntax Error

Hello. 'Names Gorm. Im from Norway (so excuse my limping language), I study philosophy at the University of Bergen, started this spring.

Im really new, but Ive seen the vast amounts of similar excuses, so I wont go on about that.

Its that time of year: I have gotten/chosen an assignment for my philosophy classes, focused on the philosophy of Spinoza. The tiltle of my essay is: "Individual freedom in the spinozistic democracy". I want to focus on the political philosophy strictly, thereby not examining Spinozas meaning of 'freedom' or anything as such.

I havent started my work entirely yet, but I wondered if anyone of you have dived into Spinoza lately, or if anyone have any thoughts to share, some inpiration to transfer.

Some of the themes I want to focus on: Justice/Penalties, freedom of speach, machiavellianism in Spinoza, platoism in Spinoza, manipulation and propaganda, institutionalizing in schools and military, nations as subjects in a state of nature.

That was very scetchy, i know, and I havent thought every cue to its end yet, I just realized. So I think Ill go read some more now.

Please, if you can help me on this, please do, i think the subject is fairly difficult. :banghead:

Salutations,
Syntax Error

PS: Is this 'begging for help' strictly not allowed or just generally regarded as immoral? In case, I didnt know.

Frotiw

Hurray, a fellow Scandinavian.

About spinoza I must admit I haven't heard much about his political philosophy. I have read some by and about Spinoza but as far as I remember it was almost purely his metaphysics. I can imagine him being very radical as I remember him from some anecdote speaking to the mob(proberly wanting to kill him) simply accepting his fate. If the mob would have killed him that would have his predetermined fate and that's it. Also he condemnation of Spinoza is pretty cool. Anyway I wish you good luck. If you have any specific question later on maybe some one here(Im willing to try) can you help you out.

Cheers.

philechat

I believe the US founders were partially influenced by Spinoza's ideas, such as the idea of church/state seperation and freedom of religion. He was among the first to raise the problem of authenticity of the Pentateuch given his familiarity with the Hebrew bible, which was later picked up by American philosophers such as Thomas Paine.

I picked up some of the knowledge above from reading books about Spinoza rather than books by him, so I might be biased here. I have only read his ethics, which asserts a necessary being (God) which is inseperable from the natural world, and God's non-involvement in the subject of human morality.