Spinoza and the Politics of Freedom

This book by Dan Taylor, Lecturer at the Open University in England, is a testament to the growing dynamism of Spinoza studies in Britain in recent years, especially but not only in the political thought of the philosopher. … His emphasis on collectivity and on the collective character of freedom in particular gives the book its specificity. … The proposed analyses are precise, sometimes inventive, but always well grounded in the texts. … Taylor is indeed endowed with a real talent for narrating philosophy: he knows how to construct a narrative that reads with the ease of a novel without ever compromising the philosophical analysis. This is a rare ability that allows the reader to share with the author the obvious pleasure he took in writing his book, for this very reason destined to be well received by a much wider readership than that of "professional" Spinozists.

Taylor is indeed endowed with a real talent for narrating philosophy: he knows how to construct a narrative that reads with the ease of a novel without ever compromising the philosophical analysis. This is a rare ability that allows the reader to share with the author the obvious pleasure he took in writing his book, for this very reason destined to be well received by a much wider readership than that of "professional" Spinozists.

In such a crowded environment one might fear repetitiveness and lack of originality as publishers are rushing to cash in on the raging interest on Spinoza. Nothing could be further from the truth for … Taylor’s Spinoza and the Politics of Freedom [which makes] remarkably fresh, insightful and engaging contributions. … [I]t is positioned in a cultural and political milieu where the interpretation of Spinoza is not merely an extension of the French political reading of Spinoza—primarily but not exclusive by those associated with Althusser. Rather, it is a political reading that has its own distinct English flavour, and it is geared toward a reading of Spinoza that would be useful for contemporary political struggles.

Nothing could be further from the truth for … Taylor’s Spinoza and the Politics of Freedom [which makes] remarkably fresh, insightful and engaging contributions. (...) The key to Taylor’s presentation of the Spinozan vision of the political is the argument that the notion of freedom in Spinoza involves the collective. There is no individual freedom, there is only ever collective freedom.

Taylor makes a convincing argument for Spinoza’s ongoing utility as a political philosopher [...] Spinoza and the Politics of Freedom makes a compelling case for Spinoza’s continuing relevance.

Dan Taylor displays extraordinary breadth of scholarship and unusual sensitivity to the colonial context in Spinoza and the Politics of Freedom. Animated by a desire for expansive fellowship, this book outlines Spinoza’s elaboration of freedom as a social project of collective empowerment. At the same time, Taylor holds the 17th century author along with his 20th century admirers accountable for shrinking from the demands of emancipation and shared power. Drawing from a rich variety of sources, this book charts new paths forward for Spinoza Studies.

The great merit of Dan Taylor is to have returned to Spinoza's conceptions of human servitude and the efficacy of the multitude as political actor, setting aside any notion that the work of the previous generation of scholars has somehow settled the conflicts that animate these conceptions in their textual existence. His book represents an extremely erudite and provocative reconsideration of some of the most important of Spinoza's philosophical discoveries. He has opened up new paths in Spinoza scholarship.