Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) was an influential continental philosopher whose ideas are still relevant and widely studied today. But the influence of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) on Spinoza's political philosophy has only recently begun to be explored.
Now, Vittorio Morfino draws out the implications of the dynamic Spinoza-Machiavelli encounter by focusing on the concepts of causality, temporality and politics. This allows him to think through the relationship between ontology and politics, leading to an understanding of history as a complex and plural interweaving of different rhythms.
This extraordinary book opens up new avenues for understanding both Machiavelli and Spinoza as well as early modern political philosophy and materialism.