Berlin and West Reading on the Ontological Foundations of Positive Freedom in Spinoza's Thought

Berlin and West are the political philosophers who have analyzed the concept of positive freedom in Spinoza's thought. In trying to explain the meaning of positive freedom in Spinoza's thought, they have adopted different interpretations and insights and have reached different results. Berlin in his paper two concepts of freedom considers Spinoza's theological political treaties as root of the defense of the authoritarian and the disregard for individual liberties. While West has taken a more comprehensive approach to defending Spinoza's political thought, and with a broader analysis of the dimensions of the concept of positive freedom (ontological, ethical, and political) in Spinoza's thought, he believes that positive freedom does not necessarily lead to authoritarianism that Berlin attributes it to the political theories of rationalists such as Plato, Fichte and Hegel. In the present article, while explaining the arguments of these two thinkers about the concept of positive freedom, we will explain how true Berlin's accusations against Spinoza's political thought are. The final proposition is that Berlin's views on positive freedom stem from a reductionist approach and an incomplete reading of the concept of positive freedom in Spinoza's thought, focusing only on some of Spinoza's positions in the theological political treatise. However, the West reading is more realistic and comprehensive due to its attention to various ethical, ontological, and political dimensions.