Spinoza (eBook)

This book is a philosophical enquiry into the educational consequences of Spinoza's political theory. Spinoza's political theory is of particular interest for educational thought as it brings together the normative aims of his ethical theory with his realistic depiction of human psychology and the ramifications of this for successful political governance. As such, this book aims to introduce the reader to Spinoza's original vision of civic education, as a project that ultimately aims at the ethical flourishing of individuals, while being carefully tailored and adjusted to the natural limitations of human reason. 

Johan Dahlbeck is Associate Professor of Education at Malmö University, Sweden. His research interest is in the philosophy of education, focusing especially on the convergence of ethics, political philosophy and educational theory. Dahlbeck has recently published two research monographs: Education and Free Will: Spinoza, Causal Determinism and Moral Formation (Routledge, 2018) and Spinoza and Education: Freedom, Understanding and Empowerment (Routledge, 2016), as well as co-edited a recent special issue on exemplarism in Spinoza and Arendt (Ethics and Education, 15:2, 2020). Dahlbeck's research is also published in academic journals such as Journal of Philosophy of Education, Studies in Philosophy and Education, Ethics and Education, Philosophy of Education Yearbook, and Educational Philosophy and Theory as well as in anthologies such as International Handbook of Philosophy of Education (ed. Paul Smeyers, 2018). Dahlbeck is currently a program coordinator of the international MA program in Educational Theory at Malmö University. 

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This book is a philosophical enquiry into the educational consequences of Spinoza's political theory. Spinoza's political theory is of particular interest for educational thought as it brings together the normative aims of his ethical theory with his realistic depiction of human psychology and the ramifications of this for successful political governance. As such, this book aims to introduce the reader to Spinoza's original vision of civic education, as a project that ultimately aims at the ethical flourishing of individuals, while being carefully tailored and adjusted to the natural limitations of human reason. Readers will benefit from a succinct introduction to Spinoza's political philosophy and from an account of civic education that is based on careful exegetical work. It draws conclusions only hinted at in Spinoza's own writings.