this issue
previous article in this issuenext article in this issue

Document Details :

Title: Materiële religie en pluriformiteit in de politieke filosofie van Spinoza
Author(s): TAMIMI ARAB, Pooyan
Journal: Tijdschrift voor Filosofie
Volume: 83    Issue: 3   Date: 2021   
Pages: 427-456
DOI: 10.2143/TVF.83.3.3289989

Abstract :
During the past two decades, the material religion approach has gained prominence in anthropological and historical studies of religions. This approach is indebted to Spinoza through the so-called affective turn in the humanities and emphasizes that religion consists in more than belief, focusing on sensations and the use of things. This article uses the material religion approach to look back at Spinoza’s political philosophy itself and highlights his views on diverse forms of material religion. It argues that Spinoza’s political philosophy joins a normative critique of material religion with a detached functionalist understanding of religious aesthetics. In conclusion, the focus on material religion reveals the Early Modern boundaries of inclusion and exclusion in Spinoza’s understanding of religious freedom and equality.

Download article