The Tractatus Theologico-Politicus

Abstract

This chapter examines Spinoza’s philosophical masterpiece, the Ethics, and Wittich’s objections to it in his Anti-Spinoza. The Ethics finalized Spinoza’s rejection of the Dutch Cartesian separation thesis in two ways. First, it argued that God and nature are in fact identical, making it utterly impossible to separate natural philosophy from theology. Moreover, it showed that the philosophical examination of God carries radical and extreme practical consequences, supporting, for instance, the beliefs that there is no divine providence, that God does not issue moral commands of any kind, and that all human actions are carried out by divine right. Second, it argued against the distinction between will and intellect, which the Dutch Cartesians required to maintain their separation thesis. Wittich’s Anti-Spinoza tried, unsuccessfully, to counter these arguments.

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