Theological Politics (Excerpt)

Author: [Dutch] Spinoza
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1963-01-01
Features: This book is one of the major works of Baruch Spinoza, the outstanding 17th-century Dutch materialist philosopher and atheist. The author used this book to engage in a sharp struggle with the church. In contrast to contemporary theologians 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. This includes exploring who the authors of each book of the sacred text were, under what conditions they wrote, and why they wrote them, among other things. Using this method, the author conducted a detailed examination of the Bible in this book, thereby refuting the various mystical doctrines of theologians and destroying the foundation of church rule. All the arguments presented by the author in this book ultimately serve to argue for his bourgeois political philosophy, advocating for the doctrine of natural rights, the social contract theory, freedom of belief and freedom of speech, and believing that "democratic government," i.e., bourgeois democratic politics, is the best form of government. During the period of the rise of the bourgeoisie, this work played a progressive role in the struggle against the church and scholastic philosophy.