The Continuity of Political Power and the Function of Democracy in Benedictus de Spinoza’s Political Thought
This article examines the conditions necessary for the continued existence of political power amid changing power relations over time, within the framework of Spinoza's concept of democracy. Unlike those who view Spinoza as a normative advocate of democracy, this article argues that he adopts a functionalist approach. For Spinoza, democracy is a system in which the power of the people is organized most effectively to ensure the continuity of political authority. This system depends on rational laws, well-structured citizen participation, and the rational regulation of power relations. Spinoza presents democracy as a means by which political power can endure through the regulation of passions and the enforcement of common reason. The challenge of transforming ordinary people into rational citizens highlights that Spinoza's idea of democracy remains an ideal and underscores the impossibility of political power achieving absolute permanence.
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