ABSTRACT

Nietzsche noted that with his Ethics, Spinoza took revenge on Jewish Law.1 In fact, nothing can be said with any confidence about Spinoza’s motives or intentions. What can be said, and what this paper will argue, is that his animus against Jewish Law was destructive towards his own case. Or, to put it more positively: if he had been more generous towards his own background, he might have produced a more attractive picture of law and politics.