A Spinozist Defense on Freedom of Conscience
Transactions on Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, (2024), Vol.7, No.1, pp.357-365
Published: May 6, 2024
DOI: 10.62051/5sqkyc67
Abstract
Spinoza tried to defend freedom of conscience in his political writings. To this end, he offers two arguments, one negative and the other positive. Negative arguments emphasize that a person’s right to judgment cannot be completely eradicated, and positive arguments emphasize the utility of protecting freedom of conscience. I argue that if Spinoza wants to criticize tyranny, he must emphasize positive arguments, even though he emphasizes negative ones more. I respond to Curley’s criticism of Spinoza by emphasizing positive argument.
Keywords:
Spinoza; Freedom of Conscience; Right of Judgement; Totalitarianism; Human Flourishing.
APA Citation:
Jinze Liu (2024). A Spinozist Defense on Freedom of Conscience. Transactions on Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 7(1), 357-365. https://doi.org/10.62051/5sqkyc67
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