Assistant Professor in the History of Early Modern Philosophy Address: Utrecht University Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies Janskerkhof 13 Room 1.02 3512 BL Utrecht
In the scholium to proposition 49 of Part 2 of the Ethics, Spinoza addresses a number of prejudic... more In the scholium to proposition 49 of Part 2 of the Ethics, Spinoza addresses a number of prejudices that tend to obscure the essentially judgmental nature of ideas. One warning is issued against those who do not distinguish accurately between ideas and images, and, for this exact reason, fail to see that every idea, insofar as it is an idea, always involves an affirmation that something is the case. This paper shows that in order to properly understand Spinoza's remarks in this passage, we must redirect attention to Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, and more particularly to the objections raised against them by Hobbes. Specifically, I argue for the identification of Hobbes and other likeminded "imagists" as Spinoza's main targets, and not, as is often assumed, Descartes himself or Cartesians in general. My identification not only resolves interpretative confusion surrounding this passage, but it also confirms Spinoza's commitment to a key rationalist assumption: the existence of a mind that can grasp or exhibit natures by clear and distinct perceptions. While both adequate and inadequate ideas are necessitated beliefs or judgments in which we assent to something, virtue consists in being propelled by the intellect.
Philosophies 6, no. 2: 32 (2021); Special Issue "Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise (1670–2020). Commemorating A Long-Forgotten Masterpiece". With Daniel Schneider, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Journal of Early Modern Studies, 9 (1): 99–120., 2020
This paper argues that fear constitutes an important part of Spinoza's redefined version of revea... more This paper argues that fear constitutes an important part of Spinoza's redefined version of revealed religion as presented in the Theological-Political Treatise. My claim is not only that obedience as conceived by Spinoza always entails fear, but that the biblical image of God as king or lawgiver requires fear to fulfill its function; and thus, by extension, that fear remains one of the very tissues that binds together the body politic. Although, throughout his corpus of work, Spinoza often associates fear with cognitive weakness and a destabilizing temperament, he also acknowledges its potential use for sustaining civic concord. My argument is both positive and negative: the state can foster support for itself by the proper utilization of religious fear, but if it neglects to do so, it undermines its stability and risks falling victim to the destructive effects of superstition.
in Dan Edelstein & Anton Matytsin (eds.), Let There Be Enlightenment: the Religious and Mystical sources of the Enlightenment, Johns Hopkins University Press (2018), 131-152., 2018
British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 2015
In letter 37 to Johannes Bouwmeester, Spinoza identifies a historiola mentis à la Bacon as an imp... more In letter 37 to Johannes Bouwmeester, Spinoza identifies a historiola mentis à la Bacon as an important tool for distinguishing more easily between adequate and inadequate ideas. This paper contends that Spinoza’s advice is to take into account Baconian-style ‘Civil History’ as providing instructive material for contemplating the variety, complexity, and persistency of human passionate behavior. Specifically, it argues that Baconian civil history forms an integral part of Spinoza’s reflections on provisional morality. Although for Spinoza, philosophical beatitude ultimately demands understanding affects through their first causes - the intuitive perception of things sub specie aeternitatis - in the realm of everyday Spinoza allows for a different, more pragmatic approach to morality. I argue at this stage that a philosophical understanding of the mind and its affections is not needed. Spinoza, following Bacon, holds that conduct of practical affairs is particularly improved when those so engaged acquire historical knowledge of the human condition and apply it. Specifically, both authors place special emphasis on a history of men’s characters, actions, and vices as providing the material basis for concrete, directly applicable moral and civil precepts.
LIAS Journal of Early Modern Intellectual Culture and its Sources, 2013
In 1661, the Quaker William Ames wrote his De Verborgentheden van het Rijcke Godts (Mysteries of ... more In 1661, the Quaker William Ames wrote his De Verborgentheden van het Rijcke Godts (Mysteries of the Kingdom of God). This work is mentioned on the title page of a more famous work, Het Licht op den Kandelaar (The Light upon the Candlestick), written in 1662 by the Dutch Collegiant Pieter Balling, a friend of the philosopher Spinoza, and translated into English a year later. Balling's work is regarded as an important statement of a stage of Collegiant thought, of special interest because of the apparent influences from Spinoza. But this same work was also considered by the Quakers to be a good account of their own theory of knowledge, according to Rufus Jones and Richard Popkin. Some early Quaker sources even listed the author as Ames himself. The confusion resulted from the title page, which references the separate work Mysteries of the Kingdom of God as authored by Ames. The English translation offered here not only makes the work available to English-speaking scholars, but also occasions a new and close comparison of the Mysteries and the Candlestick, examining the concept of the 'inward light' in relation to rationalism in circles of Quakers and Collegiants.
In the scholium to proposition 49 of Part 2 of the Ethics, Spinoza addresses a number of prejudic... more In the scholium to proposition 49 of Part 2 of the Ethics, Spinoza addresses a number of prejudices that tend to obscure the essentially judgmental nature of ideas. One warning is issued against those who do not distinguish accurately between ideas and images, and, for this exact reason, fail to see that every idea, insofar as it is an idea, always involves an affirmation that something is the case. This paper shows that in order to properly understand Spinoza's remarks in this passage, we must redirect attention to Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, and more particularly to the objections raised against them by Hobbes. Specifically, I argue for the identification of Hobbes and other likeminded "imagists" as Spinoza's main targets, and not, as is often assumed, Descartes himself or Cartesians in general. My identification not only resolves interpretative confusion surrounding this passage, but it also confirms Spinoza's commitment to a key rationalist assumption: the existence of a mind that can grasp or exhibit natures by clear and distinct perceptions. While both adequate and inadequate ideas are necessitated beliefs or judgments in which we assent to something, virtue consists in being propelled by the intellect.
Philosophies 6, no. 2: 32 (2021); Special Issue "Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise (1670–2020). Commemorating A Long-Forgotten Masterpiece". With Daniel Schneider, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Journal of Early Modern Studies, 9 (1): 99–120., 2020
This paper argues that fear constitutes an important part of Spinoza's redefined version of revea... more This paper argues that fear constitutes an important part of Spinoza's redefined version of revealed religion as presented in the Theological-Political Treatise. My claim is not only that obedience as conceived by Spinoza always entails fear, but that the biblical image of God as king or lawgiver requires fear to fulfill its function; and thus, by extension, that fear remains one of the very tissues that binds together the body politic. Although, throughout his corpus of work, Spinoza often associates fear with cognitive weakness and a destabilizing temperament, he also acknowledges its potential use for sustaining civic concord. My argument is both positive and negative: the state can foster support for itself by the proper utilization of religious fear, but if it neglects to do so, it undermines its stability and risks falling victim to the destructive effects of superstition.
in Dan Edelstein & Anton Matytsin (eds.), Let There Be Enlightenment: the Religious and Mystical sources of the Enlightenment, Johns Hopkins University Press (2018), 131-152., 2018
British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 2015
In letter 37 to Johannes Bouwmeester, Spinoza identifies a historiola mentis à la Bacon as an imp... more In letter 37 to Johannes Bouwmeester, Spinoza identifies a historiola mentis à la Bacon as an important tool for distinguishing more easily between adequate and inadequate ideas. This paper contends that Spinoza’s advice is to take into account Baconian-style ‘Civil History’ as providing instructive material for contemplating the variety, complexity, and persistency of human passionate behavior. Specifically, it argues that Baconian civil history forms an integral part of Spinoza’s reflections on provisional morality. Although for Spinoza, philosophical beatitude ultimately demands understanding affects through their first causes - the intuitive perception of things sub specie aeternitatis - in the realm of everyday Spinoza allows for a different, more pragmatic approach to morality. I argue at this stage that a philosophical understanding of the mind and its affections is not needed. Spinoza, following Bacon, holds that conduct of practical affairs is particularly improved when those so engaged acquire historical knowledge of the human condition and apply it. Specifically, both authors place special emphasis on a history of men’s characters, actions, and vices as providing the material basis for concrete, directly applicable moral and civil precepts.
LIAS Journal of Early Modern Intellectual Culture and its Sources, 2013
In 1661, the Quaker William Ames wrote his De Verborgentheden van het Rijcke Godts (Mysteries of ... more In 1661, the Quaker William Ames wrote his De Verborgentheden van het Rijcke Godts (Mysteries of the Kingdom of God). This work is mentioned on the title page of a more famous work, Het Licht op den Kandelaar (The Light upon the Candlestick), written in 1662 by the Dutch Collegiant Pieter Balling, a friend of the philosopher Spinoza, and translated into English a year later. Balling's work is regarded as an important statement of a stage of Collegiant thought, of special interest because of the apparent influences from Spinoza. But this same work was also considered by the Quakers to be a good account of their own theory of knowledge, according to Rufus Jones and Richard Popkin. Some early Quaker sources even listed the author as Ames himself. The confusion resulted from the title page, which references the separate work Mysteries of the Kingdom of God as authored by Ames. The English translation offered here not only makes the work available to English-speaking scholars, but also occasions a new and close comparison of the Mysteries and the Candlestick, examining the concept of the 'inward light' in relation to rationalism in circles of Quakers and Collegiants.
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