This work aims to demonstrate the relation between the Spinozist concept of resistance, the role that the socialization of the affects plays in the construction of the State and the reasons by which Spinoza states the democratic foundation of the power of State. This paper also aims to expose the elements in Spinoza’s political philosophy that enables him to refute the transcendence of political power, the generalized spread of hate, the voluntarism and the political moralism.

Este artigo busca demonstrar a relação entre a noção spinozana de resistência, o papel da socialização dos afetos na formação do Estado e o projeto spinozano de defesa do fundamento democrático do poder do Estado. O artigo também expõe os elementos filosofia política de Spinoza que permitem combater a transcendência do poder político, a difusão generalizada do ódio, o voluntarismo e o moralismo político.

The spinozian critical fortune records that, starting withproposition 27 of Ethics Part iii, something completely original appearsin the examination of affective life: the imitation of affections. Spinoza’snovelty, in comparison with his contemporaries, is to describe theproduction of affections no longer from an external object, but from theconduct of “something”, or “someone”, on an object - considering thatthis production is rooted in the fact that we imagine that this “someone”or that “something” is similar to us. The proposition links a longdeductive sequence (...) that runs through the rest of Part iii, supports thecrucial Part iv propositions on politics and law and reaches the PoliticalTreaty [i, v]. Our intention is to evaluate the meanings of this propositionin Spinoza’s political thought, based on a review of this problemin critical fortune - taking into account some passages in the works ofPrimo Levi. In particular the “Chemistry Test”, chapter ofthis book If This Is a Man? [Se questo è un uomo?]. (shrink)