Theology and Politics Ping (Translation of Famous Works)

Author: Baruch Spinoza (Netherlands)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-07-09
Features: This book is one of the major works of Baruch Spinoza, the outstanding materialist philosopher and atheist from 17th-century Netherlands. The author used this book to engage in a sharp struggle with the church. In contrast to the theologians of the time who cited various "miracles" to prove the sanctity of the Bible, the author pioneered in history the proposition that the study of the Bible could only be based on the Bible itself—that is, to explore who the authors of the sacred scrolls were, under what conditions they wrote, and why they wrote them, etc. Using this method in the book, the author conducted a detailed examination, thereby refuting the various mystical doctrines of the theologians and destroying the foundation of church rule. The author presented all arguments in this book, ultimately aiming to argue for his bourgeois political philosophy. He advocated the doctrine of natural rights, the social contract theory, freedom of belief and freedom of speech, and believed that "democratic government," i.e., bourgeois democratic politics, was the best form of government. During the struggle against the church and scholasticism in the rise of the bourgeoisie, this part of the work played a progressive role.