Abstract

Spinoza is known for his radical views on freedom. In this article, it is explored to what extent this reputation is justifi ed. He integrates human actions in thenecessary development of the universe and seems to leave no room for human freedom. The position of God is relevant, since it is Spinoza’s starting-point ingeneral and appears to require an intricate conception of freedom; it may bedemanded whether this can be clarifi ed. In the case of man, the diffi culty liesprimarily in the degree to which Spinoza takes his own characterization of necessity seriously; there seems to be an inconsistency here. The final section provides a possible way out of this conundrum, by focusing on the possible basis of an action.