Spinoza
- Volume 3
A Feminist Approach to Spinoza's Political Treatise
A Feminist Approach to Spinoza's Political Treatise
Liba
Kaucky
Series: Research Thoughts on… Spinoza - Volume 3
Sole author: Liba Kaucky
Copyright © Liba (Libuse) Kaucky 2019 (Copyright acquired
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The Right of Attribution (eg the right of an author to be credited)
The Right to Object to Derogatory Treatment (eg affecting the author’s reputation)
The Right of Integrity (eg prejudicial distortions of the work)
The Right to Object to False Attribution
First published 2019 by Liba (Libuse) Kaucky as a blog ebook
on blogger.com at My Spinoza Research Diary blog, available at:
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.co.uk/
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.co.uk/
Liba Kaucky ResearcherID: P-2484-2016
Liba Kaucky ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1598-0833
First edition.
Editor: Liba Kaucky
Cover photo: Copyright © Liba (Libuse) Kaucky (photographer)
24th September 2013
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Current titles in this series 'My Research Thoughts on...':
Research Thoughts on… Spinoza - Volume 1
Titles in series 1 on Spinoza:
Research Thoughts on… Spinoza - Volume 1
Research Thoughts on… Spinoza - Volume 2
Research Thoughts on… Lady Mary Shepherd – Volume 1
Titles in series 2 on Lady
Mary Shepherd:
Forthcoming titles:
Titles in series 1 on Spinoza:
Research Thoughts on… Spinoza - Volume 4
Titles in series 2 on Lady
Mary Shepherd:
Titles in series 3 on Margaret Lucas
Cavendish:
Research Thoughts on… Margaret Lucas Cavendish – Volume 1
I
would like to dedicate this book to my mother, Jana, without whose endless
love, continual encouragement and support this book would not have been
possible. I want to take this opportunity to thank her for always being there
for me throughout life’s ups and downs and for always having total belief in me
and giving me the confidence to follow my dreams. I love you!
I should also like to dedicate this volume in particular to
Professor Susan James, who always encouraged all students to “read” and
understand Spinoza’s philosophy in a positive light throughout his writings.
This is something I try to do in my series on Spinoza. She is an exceptional philosopher, political philosopher, fellow feminist / feminist philosopher, member of the
sisterhood whom I both respect and admire.
Contents
Chapter 1: Spinoza’s Fly in the Ointment in his Final Chapter?
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/02/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-1-my.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/02/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-1-my.html
Chapter 2: Gender, Dowries and Inheriting the Throne
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/04/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-2-gender.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/04/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-2-gender.html
Chapter 3: Are Daughters Allowed to Inherit an Empire?
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/05/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-3-are.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/05/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-3-are.html
Chapter 4: Women and Eunuchs – Effeminacy and Power
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/05/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-4-women-and.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/05/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-4-women-and.html
Chapter 5: Monarchs, Bisexuality, Gender Fluidity and
Power
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/05/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-5-monarchs.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/05/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-5-monarchs.html
Chapter 6: Spinoza on the Personal and the
Political
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/06/spinoza-ebook-vol-3-chapter-6-spinoza.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/06/spinoza-ebook-vol-3-chapter-6-spinoza.html
Chapter 7: On Oppression in Spinoza’s TP
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/09/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-7-on.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/09/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-7-on.html
Chapter 8: Feminist Interpretation of Spinoza On
Oppression
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/09/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-8-feminist.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/09/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-chapter-8-feminist.html
References and Bibliography
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/09/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-conclusion.html
http://myspinozaresearchdiary.blogspot.com/2019/09/spinoza-vol-3-ebook-conclusion.html
Author’s Note
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Preface
I’d like to thank my mother, who brought
me up as a feminist from the cradle. She created an environment where I could
be free from gender stereotypes, be it toys, games, clothes, attitudes or
interests so I did not grow up with gendered notions about myself or others. As
I grew older, we would chat about everything together and she would let me
explore ideas for myself and form my own opinions and support me in developing
my knowledge of feminist theory, feminist psychology/counselling, the history
of women, women in politics, women artists/feminist art and feminism in everyday
life. We’ve attended feminist conferences, events and talks together for over 20
years. I still remember the excitement I felt when we would go to Central
London to buy books at Silver Moon, the feminist bookshop! I was gutted when it
ended up as a small section at Foyles before closing down. We both go to
marches in London which support women’s rights and fight for women’s freedom
from violence/domestic violence, such as Women’s March London, Million Women
Rise. Last year, we were also part of the Procession mass artwork to
commemorate 100 years since certain women were given the right to vote. We were
in the purple group!
I have proudly called myself a
feminist for as long as I can remember, certainly since around the time I was 8
years old, well over two decades ago. It never bothered me whether the word
feminism was considered a dirty word by some. Much as I loved the phrase ‘girl
power’ in the 1990’s, I still additionally strongly identified as a feminist
and saw myself as being part of a larger sisterhood of loyal feminists,
actively defending women’s rights for themselves and each other, no matter how
similar or different they are from each other. I therefore have always found that
feminism comes naturally to me and I see it as full of positivity and
inclusivity. Hence, when I was studying Sociology at A Level, I chose modules
which included various feminist theories, to deepen my academic knowledge of
feminism, including studies on women’s condition and the Patriarchal structure
of society. I also chose modules in English Literature A Level which included
women writers with feminist thought in their works, namely, Carol Ann Duffy’s
The World’s Wife and Margaret Attwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, alongside Shakespeare’s
The Taming of the Shrew. The latter also deepened my knowledge and appreciation
of feminist interpretations in secondary literature, in this case, feminist
readings of the characters of Kate and Petruchio. I’d previously undertaken a
feminist reading of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre in my early teens, so I already
had a good idea of how to go about this.
I continue to expand my knowledge
of feminism, for example, by pursuing courses, such as, ‘Beyond the Ballot:
Women’s Rights and Suffrage from 1866 to Today’ (Royal Holloway, London
University, FutureLearn 2018) and 'Understanding Violence Against Women: Myths and Realities' (University of Strathclyde, FutureLearn 2018), as well as reading and studying gender and
sexuality.
Having thoroughly enjoyed
studying feminist theory both for my own pleasure and for qualifications, I wanted
to make feminist philosophy part of my degree. I then looked forward to having the
freedom to explore and research feminist issues in the history of philosophy
after I graduated and this volume is the result of me following my passion for
this field.
Introduction
Structure of this ebook: My Analytic-Jewish-Feminist Interpretation of Spinoza’s Political Treatise (TP)
This is my third volume in the
series ‘My Research Thoughts on…Spinoza’, a series of books dedicated to
Spinoza (labelled series 1) which is situated within my overarching series on
the History of Philosophy, entitled ‘My Research Thoughts on…’. This volume 3 continues where my previous
second volume on Spinoza left off. Volume 2 ended on the topic of how we hold
in tension being an unique individual as well as being part of a collective
society. Volume 3 furthers this tension by placing it into the realm of
political philosophy and women: How does political, legal and social life
impact on the life and death of people and states? A key question for Spinoza,
which informed his purpose of delineating philosophy from theology when writing
the TTP[i],
was: What are the parameters of individual freedom within a collective society
in which there are diverse opinions? Using my Analytic-Jewish-Feminist
interpretation, I shall examine the political life and death of women in his
unfinished Political Treatise (TP).
Barbone and Rice view the TP as
being a treatise on political science (unlike the TTP) therefore it examines
“organisation and equilibrium”[ii].
However, on my interpretation of Spinoza, I shall not be treating the TP as a
work of political science but rather as a ground-breaking work in political
philosophy. A Machiavelli Spinoza is not.
Machiavelli worked in “the inner
circles of government” (and held the high position of being the Republic’s
chancellor/secretary) where he could directly observe political systems
first-hand[iii].
Such empirical data formed the backbone of his political theory and writings.
It is widely accepted in scholarship that Machiavelli’s political career
“provided the raw material for his later life as a writer”[iv]
and that his “diplomatic experiences thus had a direct influence upon the
development of his political theory”[v].
The reason Machiavelli can retrospectively be seen as a political scientist is
that “the weight of classical authority” (and “historians”) is always present
in his works but tempered by direct observation”[vi].
In other words, classical and historical practical examples are not enough to
classify a work as political science.
Spinoza, on the contrary, never
worked for the government or in politics. So he cannot work from raw data
gathered through his own direct observational experience which, I argue, is a
requirement for undertaking research in political science. Hence, unlike
Machiavelli, Spinoza’s empirical element in the TP does rely solely on
classical and historical examples. Likewise, I also use practical examples
(classical, historical, contemporary) to support my arguments but this does not
mean my work thereby shifts discipline from political philosophy to political
science (a relatively new discipline which analyses data rather than
philosophical arguments).
I suggest the conflation between
political philosophy and political science may arise because both can value a
scientific methodology. However, they carry this out in different ways. Spinoza
aims “to deduce from certain and undoubted course of argument, or to deduce
from the very conditions of human nature, not what is new and unheard of, but only
such things as agree best with practice”[vii].
Maths underpins Spinoza’s methodology because it gives him “freedom” to “understand
human actions” more objectively as properties not as vices[viii].
In this way, Spinoza attempts to fill a research gap in political philosophy in
the 17th century. He is somewhat dissatisfied with philosophers’
approach to politics, as being too fixated on vices and advocating an
unrealistic account of human nature while engaging in “verbal attacks on that
which, in fact, exists”[ix].
Spinoza is equally unimpressed that statesmen are “more crafty than learned”, “are
suspected of plotting against mankind, rather than consulting their interests”
but “have written about politics far more happily than philosophers”[x].
So, at a fundamental level, Spinoza would be unimpressed with Machiavelli’s
overall acceptance of political dirty dealings. Thus, Spinoza tries to find a
middle ground for political philosophy which neither falls into moralising, nor
collapses into corruption. He achieves this by balancing a variety of philosophical
methodological approaches. One, he draws on a mathematical, analytical
philosophical method, to guard against descending into mere outrage. However,
unlike Descartes, Spinoza rejects that one could “by meditation discover in
this matter anything not yet tried and ascertained”[xi].
So two, Spinoza draws on past events for practical examples to bridge the gap
between theory and practice so his political philosophy, unlike prior
philosophical attempts, has the potential to be “turned to use”[xii].
Indeed, as a scientist himself, Spinoza was always drawing on mathematical and
scientific methodology throughout his philosophy, and taking into account how
hypotheses work in practice. Hence, I maintain it is only consistent for him to
continue to do so in his political philosophy.
My overarching philosophical aim
in this volume is to flesh out the feminist strand of my interpretation of
Spinoza in relation to his hitherto under-researched Political Treatise.
Throughout, I offer a positive and charitable reading of Spinoza’s original
Latin, by analytically demonstrating how his philosophy should not be dismissed
as expressing sexist ideas about women. Where pertinent, I provide an
historical context to his concepts and arguments to illustrate and examine how
the cogs of his political philosophy arguments work. Furthermore, I elaborate
on how Spinoza can inform the philosophy of gender as well as feminist
philosophy, feminist jurisprudence and feminism, especially intersectional
feminism. This is not to use Spinoza’s philosophy in a teleological way, as
merely a means to end. The purpose of this is manifold:
- I aim to uncover truths in his philosophy and demonstrate how they function;
- to support his arguments with empirical evidence of them working, or potentially working, successfully in practice (historically or currently);
- to provide a closer reading of Spinoza’s original Latin texts so his political philosophy and attitudes towards women can be better understood;
- to expand on how feminism (alongside Jewish philosophy, analytic philosophy, contextual/history of philosophy approach) can contribute to an accurate representation and interpretation of Spinoza’s philosophy
- to shed light on Spinoza’s on-going relevance to today and how his philosophy can be a constant source of inspiration and wisdom.
[i] Benedict de Spinoza, A
Theologico-Political Treatise and A Political Treatise, trans. R. H. M.
Elwes, Dover Philosophical Classics (Mineola, New York, USA: Dover Publications
Inc, 2004).
[ii] Benedictus de Spinoza, ‘Introduction’, in
Political Treatise, trans. Samuel Shirley (Indianapolis: Hackett Pub,
2000), 27.
[iii] Lucille Margaret Kekewich and Niccolò
Machiavelli, ‘Introduction’, in The Prince., ed. Tom Griffith, trans. C.
E Detmold, Wordsworth Classics of World Literature (Ware: Wordsworth Editions
Ltd, 2013), vii, https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11406095.
[iv] Kekewich and Machiavelli, vii.
[v] Peter Bondanella, Mark Musa, and Niccolò
Machiavelli, ‘Introduction An Essay on Machiavelli’, in The Portable
Machiavelli, The Viking Portable Library (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1979),
14.
[vi] Bondanella, Musa, and Machiavelli, 12.
[vii] Spinoza, TTP Trans. Elwes, 288.
[viii]
Spinoza, 288.
[ix] Spinoza, 287.
[x] Spinoza, 287–88.
[xi] Spinoza, 288.
[xii] Spinoza, 287.