Galkin Ivan Viktorovich Problem of alienation in the political philosophy of Benedict Spinoza

Abstract: This article is devoted to the alienation problem in political philosophy of the renown European Renaissance philosopher Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677). B. Spinoza paid much attention to the philosophical analysis of political and legal categories, since, being a rationalist, he was much interested in the problem of possibly establishing state rule based on the “natural light” of enlightened mind and public good. The Dutch thinker expressed his views in much detail in his works, and he provided for the constitutional models of the “ideal” state, showing his way to overcome political alienation. While B. Spinoza did not use the term “alienation” in his works, his creative heritage is concerned with the problem of alienation of political institutions. In his point of view it becomes possible to overcome political alienation, when the democratic state, which is a product of the social contract, is established. In order for the state rule to comply with the principle of public good, the activities of the government should be based on the rule of the people. The nature of democracy is to bring the society to its natural condition, so that the legal norms come into accordance with the requirements of natural law. Therefore, only the democratic rule is able to overcome the alienating influence of the government institutions and to establish the priority of the public good, which is a combination of the three key elements: freedom, equality, and justice.

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