-
85‘Disempowered by Nature’: Spinoza on The Political Capabilities of WomenBritish Journal for the History of Philosophy 19 (6). 2011.This paper examines Spinoza's remarks on women in the Political Treatise in the context of his views in the Ethics about human community and similitude. Although these remarks appear to exclude women from democratic participation on the basis of essential incapacities, I aim to show that Spinoza intended these remarks not as true statements, but as prompts for critical consideration of the place of women in the progressive democratic polity. In common with other scholars, I argue that women, in …Read more
-
70A version of this paper was first presented at the conference The Radical Enlightenment: the Big Picture and its Details in Brussels in May 2013. I would like to thank Steffen Ducheyne and the organizing team at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and to acknowledge the many helpful comments I received from listeners there and at subsequent events. Thanks also to the anonymous reviewer who suggested several helpful refinements.
-
70The Concept of Equality in Spinoza’s Theological-Political TreatiseEpoché: A Journal for the History of Philosophy 20 (2): 367-386. 2016.Spinoza recognizes that in a democracy, ideals of freedom and equality shape our thoughts about ourselves as human beings. This paper examines Spinoza’s concept of equality in the Theological-Political Treatise, and considers its complexities and ambiguities in light of his theories of freedom and democracy there and in the Ethics. Because Spinoza takes human beings to have unequal power, he does not believe we are naturally or intrinsically equal. Nor does he think equality is good in itself. …Read more
-
55IV—Disagreement in the Political Philosophy of Spinoza and RancièreProceedings of the Aristotelian Society 117 (1): 61-80. 2017.Peer reviewed.
-
50Spinoza's Ethics: An Edinburgh Philosophical GuideIndiana University Press. 2010.Baruch Spinoza was born in Amsterdam during a period of unprecedented scientific, artistic, and intellectual discovery. Upon its release, Spinoza’s Ethics was banned; today it is the quintessential example of philosophical method. Although acknowledged as difficult, the book is widely taught in philosophy, literature, history, and politics. This introduction is designed to be read side by side with Spinoza's work. As a guide to the style, vocabulary, and arguments of the Ethics, it offers a rang…Read more
-
50Spinoza and the Specters of Modernity: The Hidden Enlightenment of Diversity from Spinoza to FreudBritish Journal for the History of Philosophy 19 (2): 339-342. 2011.(2011). Spinoza and the Specters of Modernity: The Hidden Enlightenment of Diversity from Spinoza to Freud. British Journal for the History of Philosophy: Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 339-342
-
43Spinoza on Human Freedom: Reason, Autonomy, and the Good Life. By Matthew J. Kisner. (Cambridge UP, 2011. Pp. xi + 261. Price £50.00.)Philosophical Quarterly 62 (246): 206-208. 2012.
-
40Are we morally equal by nature?Forum for European Philosophy Blog. 2015.Beth Lord explores Spinoza’s rejection of natural moral equality and its relevance for modern democracy.
-
35Spinoza and German IdealismBritish Journal for the History of Philosophy 22 (1): 178-181. 2014.No abstract
-
27Spinoza's Theological‐Political Treatise: A Critical GuideBritish Journal for the History of Philosophy 20 (3): 636-639. 2012.British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Volume 20, Issue 3, Page 636-639, May 2012
-
23The Continuum Companion to Continental Philosophy (edited book)Continuum. 2009.The Continuum Companion to Continental Philosophy offers the definitive guide to contemporary continental thought.
-
21Spinoza's Political Psychology: The Taming of Fortune and FearPhilosophical Quarterly 71 (1): 211-214. 2021.Spinoza's Political Psychology: The Taming of Fortune and Fear. By Steinberg Justin.
-
19‘A Sudden Surprise of the Soul’: Wonder in Museums and Early Modern PhilosophyRoyal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 79 95-116. 2016.Recent museum practice has seen a return to ‘wonder’ as a governing principle for display and visitor engagement. Wonder has long been a contentious topic in aesthetics, literary studies, and philosophy of religion, but its adoption in the museum world has been predominantly uncritical. Here I will suggest that museums draw on a concept of wonder that is largely unchanged from seventeenth-century philosophy, yet without taking account of early modern doubts about wonder's efficacy for knowledge.…Read more
-
19Peer reviewed.
-
14The Virtual and the Ether: Transcendental Empiricism in Kant's Opus PostumumJournal of the British Society for Phenomenology 39 (2): 147-166. 2008.
-
14Spinoza and architectural thinkingIntellectual History Review 30 (3): 489-504. 2020.Spinoza did not write a treatise on architecture, but I would like to consider what he might have said in it if he did. Spinoza makes few remarks about architecture, and these remarks do not appear...
-
13Kant and Spinozism: transcendental idealism and immanence from Jacobi to DeleuzePalgrave-Macmillan. 2011.This book provides a new interpretation of Kants critical work that shows Kants deep connection to Spinoza, and reveals new directions for thinking about Kant in relation to contemporary European philosophy.
-
12Spinoza Beyond Philosophy (edited book)Edinburgh University Press. 2012.10 engaging and original essays argue that Spinoza is the interdisciplinary thinker for our times.This book brings Spinoza outside the realm of academic philosophy, and presents him as a thinker who is relevant to contemporary problems and questions across a variety of disciplines.Discover how Spinoza's theory of bodies transforms our understanding of music, and how it grounds "collective subjectivity" in contemporary politics. Learn how Spinoza's idea of freedom was instrumental to the Haitian …Read more
-
11Spinoza’s Philosophy of Ratio (edited book)Edinburgh University Press. 2018."From his geometrical method to his theory of mind and body and from his account of the emotions to his doctrine of how to live well, Spinoza's philosophy is a philosophy of ratio"--Back cover.
-
9EditorialBritish Journal for the History of Philosophy 28 (4): 673-673. 2020.Volume 28, Issue 4, July 2020, Page 673-673.
-
8The Bloomsbury companion to continental philosophy (edited book)Bloomsbury Academic. 2013.Originally published as the Continuum Companion to Continental Philosophy, this book offers the definitive guide to contemporary Continental thought. It covers all the most pressing and important themes and categories in the field - areas that have continued to attract interest historically as well as topics that have emerged more recently as active areas of research. Twelve specially commissioned essays from an international team of experts reveal where important work continues to be done in th…Read more
-
8Ratio as the basis of Spinoza's concept of equalityIn Spinoza’s Philosophy of Ratio, Edinburgh University Press. pp. 61-73. 2018.