Fear and Political Emotion: Spinoza and the Relationship between Authority and Superstition

Volume 15|Issue 57| Summer 2026 |Articles

Abstract

This study explores the political question in Spinoza’s philosophy by examining his critique of superstition as a form of political metaphysics and his understanding of politics through the lens of psychological reality, particularly the role of political affects. Situated within the realist context that shaped political theory in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Spinoza develops a political account deeply informed by psychological and historical analyses of the evolution of political thought. This perspective draws attention to his early defence of democracy as a system grounded in reflections on human nature and the historical development of political life. The study therefore focuses on the role of superstition as a tool of political domination and argues that freedom of thought and expression constitutes a necessary condition for the formation of a democratic order in which individuals can overcome the condition of fear that characterizes their relationship with political authority.​
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​A Mauritanian researcher, holds a PhD in philosophy from Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco.​

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