Spinoza, the Epicurean: Authority and Utility in Materialism

Dimitris Vardoulakis contends that Spinoza's materialism is rooted in the Epicurean tradition, which reemerges in modernity with the rediscovery of manuscripts by Epicurus and Lucretius. This reinterpretation of Spinoza's political project challenges the traditional genealogy of materialism and offers an alternative perspective grounded in practical judgment and democracy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2020
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Dimitris Vardoulakis presents a groundbreaking interpretation of the Theological Political Treatise, challenging the prevailing notion that Spinoza's materialism is primarily derived from the Epicurean tradition. Instead, he argues that the rediscovery of manuscripts by Epicurus and Lucretius in modernity plays a crucial role in shaping Spinoza's materialist perspective. Vardoulakis proposes a new genealogy of materialism by examining the theory of practical judgment and its implications for democracy. He highlights the importance of practical judgment in calculating utility and its potential for challenging authority. This reinterpretation of Spinoza's political project provides a fresh perspective on the development of materialism and offers an alternative genealogy that resists traditional authority.

Weight: 662g
Dimension: 161 x 240 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474476041