Political Treatise
contributor: Eric Lease Morgan (Infomotions, Inc.)
creator: Spinoza, Benedict De
date: 0000-00-00
extent: 219054
format: text/plain
language: en
publisher: Unknown. (Ask Eric.)
rights: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/GPL/2.0/
source: poltreat.txt
subject: dominion
subject: council
subject: king
subject: commonwealth
subject: man
subject: wherein
subject: demonstrated
subject: aristocratic
subject: spinoza
subject: benedict
subject: political
subject: treatise
subject: western
subject: philosophy
type: text
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sort title: Political Treatise
full text: BENEDICT DE SPINOZA'S POLITICAL TREATISE, WHEREIN IS DEMONSTRATED, HOW THE SOCIETY IN WHICH MONARCHICAL DOMINION FINDS PLACE, AS ALSO THAT IN WHICH THE DOMINION IS ARISTOCRATIC, SHOULD BE ORDERED, SO AS NOT TO LAPSE INTO A TYRANNY, BUT TO PRESERVE INVIOLATE THE PEACE AND FREEDOM OF THE CITIZENS. [TRACTATUS POLITICUS.] Edited with an Introduction by R. H. M. Elwes Translated by A. H. Gosset Published by G. Bell & Son London 1883 Rendered into HTML and Text by Jon Roland of the Constitution Society 1998 ------------------------ FROM THE EDITOR'S PREFACE TO THE POSTHUMOUS WORKS OF BENEDICT DE SPINOZA. OUR author composed the Political Treatise shortly before his death [in 1677]. Its reasonings are exact, its style clear. Abandoning the opinions of many political writers, he most firmly propounds therein his own judgment; and throughout draws his conclusions from his premisses. In the first five chapters, he treats of political science in general -- in the sixth and seventh, of monarchy; in the eighth, ninth, and tenth, of aristocracy; lastly, the eleventh begins the subject of democratic government. But his untimely death was the reason that he did not finish this treatise, and that he did not deal with the subject of laws, nor with the various questions about politics, as may be seen from the following "Letter of the Author to a Friend, which may properly be prefixed to this Political Treatise, and serve it for a Preface:" -- "Dear Friend, -- Your welcome letter was delivered to me yesterday. I heartily thank you for the kind interest you take in me. I would not miss this opportunity, were I not engaged in something, which I think more useful, and which, I believe, will please you more -- that is, in preparing a Political Treatise, which I began some time since, upon your advice. Of this treatise, six chapters are already finished. The first contains a kind of introduction to the actual work; the second treats of natural right; the third, of the right of supreme autho…