RUAN DE SOUSA GABRIEL

In the preface of the "Theological-Political Treatise", Spinoza addresses his intended audience — the philosophical reader — stating that the work will be of "great benefit" to those who "could philosophize more freely, were they not hindered by the belief that reason must be the handmaid of theology." Thus, the TTP presents itself to the reader as an invitation to philosophy. Based on this premise, our research aims to explore Spinoza's text to understand how it shapes its reader into a philosopher. To achieve this goal, we will examine the status of the philosophical reader in the work, how theology is portrayed as an obstacle to the freedom of philosophizing, and how Spinoza's analysis of prophecy enables a critique of theology and a defense of philosophy as the autonomous production of the intellect. We also intend to consider the philosophical reader not only as the original addressee of Spinoza's work but as a certain stance toward the text (and reality), allowing us to reflect on the problems of reading and philosophical interpretation beyond the "Theological-Political Treatise".