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57‘The black, scabby Brazilian’: Some thoughts on race and early modern philosophyPhilosophy and Social Criticism 31 (2): 211-221. 2005.When Spinoza described his dream of a black, scabby Brazilian, was the image indicative of a larger pattern of racial discrimination? Should todays readers regard racist comments and theories in the texts of 17th- and 18th-century philosophers as reflecting the prejudices of their time or as symptomatic of philosophical discourse? This article discusses whether a critical discussion of race is itself a form of racism and whether supposedly minor prejudices are evidence of a deeper social path…Read more
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54Persuasive passions: Rhetoric and the interpretation of spinozas theological-political treatiseArchiv für Geschichte der Philosophie 85 (3): 249-268. 2003.
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151Spinoza's 'Theological-Political Treatise': A Critical Guide (edited book)Cambridge University Press. 2010.Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise was published anonymously in 1670 and immediately provoked huge debate. Its main goal was to claim that the freedom of philosophizing can be allowed in a free republic and that it cannot be abolished without also destroying the peace and piety of that republic. Spinoza criticizes the traditional claims of revelation and offers a social contract theory in which he praises democracy as the most natural form of government. This Critical Guide presents essays…Read more
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University of Toronto, St. George CampusDepartment of Philosophy
Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish StudiesGraftstein Professor In Jewish Philosophy
University of Chicago
PhD, 1996
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Areas of Specialization
History of Western Philosophy |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |
PhilPapers Editorships
Spinoza: Philosophy of Religion |