Michael Strawser provides a new reading of Spinoza as a philosopher of love for whom the ethically qualified conception of noble love is central. Strawser situates Spinoza's philosophy of love within the Jewish and Cartesian traditions and shows how this active conception of love can conquer hatred and bring people together.

Introduction: Amor sive Generositas

Chapter 1: From Jewish Love Lessons to Amorous Perfectionism

Chapter 2: Between the Courtesan and the Lens-grinder

Chapter 3: Descartes's Illogic of Love

Chapter 4: The Specter of Speciesism

Chapter 5: Levinas and the Spinoza Question

Conclusion: Towards Collective Nobility

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Michael G. Strawser (Ph.D., University of Kentucky) is an associate professor of communication in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida, where he also serves as the Director of Community Engaged Scholarship for UCF Downtown.