The Theologico-Political Treatise on Recognition: Spinoza With and Against Hobbes

Abstract

This article is the second part of a comparison between Hobbes’s and Spinoza’s theories of recognition as they appear in De Cive and the Tractatus theologico-politicus. It analyzes the impact of admiration, both of God and of man, on social and moral relations, as well as on political ties. This analysis reveals a dual discourse that to some extent echoes that found in De Cive. Concerning social and moral relations, this article demonstrates that the Treatise, similarly to De Cive, downplays the capacity of the desire for recognition to drive socialization and moral development. Instead, it underscores the potential of this desire to generate conflict and social breakdown. Spinoza overlooks how Hobbes’s discussion of worship allows for the emergence of an intersubjective and cooperative origin of both subjectivities and power, an origin that is constitutively mediated by recognition.  Moreover, Spinoza introduces a critique of the falsity of recognition and the virtues it fosters that is absent from Hobbes’s work. On the political level, the article argues that the Treatise addresses the subtler dimension of Hobbes’s theory, namely, the idea that all political power rests on the cooperation of the governed, a cooperation made possible through recognition. At the same time, by identifying the libera respublica as the only legitimate form of state, Spinoza finds himself in opposition to Hobbes’s implicit and explicit discussions alike. He must reject the idea that recognition bestowed upon non-democratic authorities provides ideological support for servitude. Moreover, he redefines the politically positive function of recognition, arguing that its true value lies in its potential to incite resistance against non-democratic powers.