Spinoza's Conception of Sovereignty
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11348371 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Raia Prokhovnik (a Department of Politics , Open University , Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2001 |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 289-306 |
| Publication date | 2001-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History of European Ideas (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0191-6599 • E-ISSN: 1873-541X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1016/s0191-6599(01)00051-1 |
| OpenAlex | W2072627095 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
The article argues that Spinoza's principle of political order represents a conception of sovereignty which is both historically intelligible and analytically coherent. The appropriateness of four meanings of sovereignty to Spinoza's political theory is considered. Then, after examining Spinoza's use of Hobbes's still influential touchstone for the modern theory of sovereignty, Spinoza's conception is discussed in the light of the role that customary practice and republicanism play in his political theory. The analysis of sovereignty also prompts engagement with a range of meanings of the notions of constitutionalism and absolute rule. The argument demonstrates that while Spinoza employs some different criteria, he establishes a conception of sovereignty which needs to be recognised as no less internally consistent than Hobbes's. Moreover, both conceptions contain problems. Although Hobbes demonstrates the abstract logic of authority, the theoretical consequence he draws concerning sovereignty entailing a unitary state has been successfully challenged. Spinoza's conception of sovereignty is based on the logic of customary practice, but the manner in which customary practice is ultimately unsusceptible of analytical justification renders his notion also vulnerable to challenge
Argument (complex analysis · Constitutionalism · Democracy · Economics · Epistemology · Law and economics · Order (exchange · Political authority · Political philosophy · Political science · Politics · Popular sovereignty · Sociology · Sovereignty · State (computer science · Unitary state · Law · Marxism and Critical Theory · Mathematics · Philosophy · Political Theology and Sovereignty · Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,19 |
| Citation span | 2005 - 2015 (11) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |