Abstract

"Sweeping through the history of Western philosophy of law, [the author] deals with the metaphysical idea of potency as defined by Spinoza and Nietzsche, upsetting entrenched theories of jurisprudence. [The author] first addresses how the idea of potency can change the meaning of the power ascribed to an omnipotent God. This brings together classical Greek philosophy with Jewish biblical exegesis, which [the author] links through the juncture of Christianity. He then relates potency to the classical philosophical tradition in Aristotle's 'Metaphysics' and its Arabic interpretations, particularly those of Ibn Rushd (Averroës). This leads [the reader] to the genesis of natural law theory in Western philosophy, from Augustine to Aquinas and from Duns Scotus to Ockham... [The author] examines the inherently problematic concept of political theology, pitting Spinozan-Nietzschean potency against Kant and Enlightenment natural law to reveal the weakness inherent in the Enlightenment system. Finally, [the author] applies the theories of Carl Schmitt to the philosophical rationalism of the Western tradition, showing [the reader] how it has failed to contain absolute power in a juridical sense."--