Spinoza and the Politics of Renaturalization

There have been many Spinozas over the centuries: atheist, romantic pantheist, great thinker of the multitude, advocate of the liberated individual, and rigorous rationalist. The common thread connecting all of these clashing perspectives is Spinozas naturalism, the idea that humanity is part of nature, not above it. In this sophisticated new interpretation of Spinozas iconoclastic philosophy, Hasana Sharp draws on his uncompromising naturalism to rethink human agency, ethics, and political practice. Sharp uses Spinoza to outline a practical wisdom of renaturalization, showing how ideas, actions, and institutions are never merely products of human intention or design, but outcomes of the complex relationships among natural forces beyond our control. This lack of a metaphysical or moral division between humanity and the rest of nature, Sharp contends, can provide the basis for an ethical and political practice free from the tendency to view ourselves as either gods or beasts. Sharps groundbreaking argument critically engages with important contemporary thinkersincluding deep ecologists, feminists, and race and critical theoristsmaking Spinoza and the Politics of Renaturalization vital for a wide range of scholars.