SPINOZA ON HUMAN FREEDOM SpinozawasoneofthemostinfluentialfiguresoftheEnlightenment, buthisoftenobscuremetaphysicsmakesitdifficulttounderstandthe ultimatemessageofhisphilosophy.Althoughheregardedfreedomas thefundamentalgoalofhisethicsandpolitics,histheoryoffreedom hasnotreceivedsustained,comprehensivetreatment.Spinozaholds thatweattainfreedombygoverningourselvesaccordingtopractical principles,whichexpressmanyofourdeepestmoralcommitments. MatthewJ.Kisnerfocusesonthistheoryandpresentsanalternative pictureoftheethicalprojectdrivingSpinoza’sphilosophicalsystem. Hisstudyoftheneglectedpracticalphilosophyprovidesanaccessible and concrete picture of what it means to live as Spinoza’s ethics envisioned. matthew j. kisner is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the UniversityofSouthCarolina.Hehaspreviouslypublishedarticleson avariety oftopicsin early modern philosophy,including Descartes, Hobbes,SpinozaandMalebranche. SPINOZA ON HUMAN FREEDOM Reason, autonomy and the good life MATTHEW J. KISNER cambridge university press Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,Singapore, SaoPaulo,Delhi,Dubai,Tokyo,MexicoCity CambridgeUniversityPress TheEdinburghBuilding,Cambridgecb28ru,UK PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmericabyCambridgeUniversityPress,NewYork www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9780521198882 (cid:2)c MatthewJ.Kisner2011 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2011 PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloguinginPublicationdata Kisner,MatthewJ.,1974– Spinozaonhumanfreedom:reason,autonomyandthegoodlife/MatthewJ.Kisner. p. cm. isbn978-0-521-19888-2(hardback) 1.Liberty. 2.Spinoza,Benedictusde,1632–1677–Politicalandsocialviews. I.Title. jc585.k57 2011 320.01(cid:3)1–dc22 2010048068 isbn9780521198882hardback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor accuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredto inthispublication,anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuch websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate. For Michael Contents Abbreviationsandtranslations pageviii Acknowledgments x Introduction:Beyondtherapy 1 1 Freedomasrationality 17 2 JustifyingSpinoza’sconceptionoffreedom 46 3 Autonomyandresponsibility 57 4 Freedomandhappiness 72 5 Thegood 87 6 Thenaturallaw 112 7 Benevolence 135 8 Thefreeman 162 9 Rationaldeliberation 179 10 Thecharacteroffreedom 197 11 Thefreedomofthecitizen 215 Conclusion:“Thetruefreedomofman” 236 Bibliography 248 Index 257 vii Abbreviations and translations TranslationsofSpinoza’swritingsmostoftenfollowSpinoza:Complete Works,ed.MichaelL.Morgan,trans.SamuelShirley(Indianapolis: HackettPublishing,2002),thoughIoftenusemyowntranslations, whichhavebenefitedfromconsultingTheCollectedWorksofSpinoza, volumei,ed.andtrans.EdwinCurley(PrincetonUniversityPress,1985). TranslationsfromtheTheological-PoliticalTreatisearegenerallymyown, thoughIhavetakenaccountofShirley,aswellasMichaelSilverthorne andJonathanIsrael’sTheological-PoliticalTreatise,ed.JonathanIsrael (CambridgeUniversityPress,2007).AlltranslationsofKant’spractical philosophyarefromtheCambridgeeditionoftheWorksofImmanuel Kant:PracticalPhilosophy,ed.andtrans.MaryJ.Gregor(Cambridge UniversityPress,1996).Abbreviationsusedareasfollows: A/B Kant,CritiqueofPureReason,ed.andtrans.PaulGuyer andAllenW.Wood(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversity Press,1998),citedbypagenumberfromthefirstandsecond (AandB)editionsofthetext. CM Spinoza’sCogitataMetaphysica,theappendixtohisRenati DesCartesPrincipiorumPhilosophiae,citedbypartand chapter. CPR Kant,CritiqueofPracticalReason,citedbyvolumeandpage numberfromtheAcademyEdition(AkademieAusgabeor Ak)ofKant’scollectedwritings. CSM/K ThePhilosophicalWritingsofDescartes,ed.andtrans.John Cottingham,RobertStoothoffandDugaldMurdoch (CambridgeUniversityPress,1984,1985),volumeiii,trans. AnthonyKenny(1991),withmarginalpaginationtoOeuvres deDescartes,ed.CharlesAdamandPaulTannery(Paris: J.Vrin,1964–74).Citedbyvolumeandpagenumber. viii Abbreviationsandtranslations ix G Kant,GroundworkfortheMetaphysicsofMorals,citedby volumeandpagenumberfromAk. KV Spinoza’sKorteVerhandelingvanGod,deMenschendeszelfs Welstand,citedbybookandchapter. L Hobbes,Leviathan,citedbychapter,sectionandpage numberinEdwinCurley’scriticaledition(Indianapolis: HackettPublishing,1994). MM Kant,MetaphysicsofMorals,citedbyvolumeandpage numberfromAk. TdIE Spinoza’sTractatusdeIntellectusEmandatione,citedby paragraphnumberfromBenedictideSpinozaOperaquae supersuntomnia,ed.CarolusHermannusBruder(Leipzig, 1843–6),volumeii. TP Spinoza’sTractatusPoliticus,citedbychapterandparagraph numberfromSpinoza’sOperaPosthuma,ed.R.W.Meijer, 1677. TTP Spinoza’sTractatusTheologico-Politicus,citedbychapterand paragraphnumberfromFokkeAkkerman’scriticaledition ofthetext(Paris:PressesUniversitairesdeFrance,1999). Spinoza’sEthicsiscitedbypartandpropositionusingthefollowing abbreviations: a axiom app appendix c corollary d demonstration def definition DOE DefinitionoftheEmotions(endofPart3) ex explanation p proposition s scholium Thus,2p49d=Ethics,Part2,proposition49,demonstration. Spinoza’sCorrespondenceiscitedbyletternumberfromJ.VanVloten andJ.P.N.Land’s1882 editionofSpinoza’scollectedworks.