Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Noble, Christopher

Area of Concentration

Literature and Philosophy

Abstract

In this this thesis, I analyze Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise with an aim to explicating Spinoza’s hermeneutics. In my analysis of Spinoza’s Scriptural hermeneutics, I pay close attention to the features of the project which I think can be translated to literary texts in a meaningful way. My criterion for what can be translated to literary texts in a meaningful way is in large part based on Gadamer’s own criticism of Spinoza’s use of the “methodological ideal of the natural sciences”. I follow Gadamer on his point that this adoption of scientific methodology is clearly out of place in the case of Scripture and also in the case of art more broadly. I find a theory of art suggested in Spinoza’s accounts of Biblical narratives and Prophetic imagery, which make use of artistic voices and the way in which they provoke a kind of imaginary identification with the artist which in turn makes the recipient of the voice amenable to what is being communicated. Having retrieved this positive content from the TTP, I switch to determining what falls within the scope of Gadamer’s criticism and accordingly limits the hermeneutical potential of the TTP, at the very least in its application to literary art. These strands are developed alongside Gadamer, who acts a contrast case demonstrating the unrealized hermeneutical potential of the TTP. I then turn to a brief literary application of the hermeneutic ideas discussed throughout the thesis, where I focus in on the literary device of stream of consciousness as a means of synthesizing Gadamer’s interest in dialogue with Spinoza’s interest in voice.

Download

Share

COinS