"Thinking with Spinoza: Politics, Philosophy and Religion," Birkbeck College, University of London, May 7-8, 2009.

Does religious pluralism undermine political co-operation? Does religion differ from superstition? What is the scope of philosophical knowledge? Can it live alongside religious faith? How can states combine pluralism with solidarity? How deeply does political co-operation depend on imagined narratives? These and other themes of Spinoza’s seminal Theologico-Political Treatise will be discussed. Speakers: Etienne Balibar (Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities), "Spinoza’s Three Gods and the Modes of Communication" Aaron Garrett, (Boston University), "Knowing the Essence of the State"
 Don Garrett (New York University), "Spinoza’s ‘Promising’ Ideas: Contract and Covenant in the Theologico-Political Treatise"
 Moira Gatens (University of Sydney), "Compelling Fictions: Spinoza and George Eliot on Belief and Faith" 
 Susan James (Birkbeck College), "When does Truth Matter? The Politics of Spinoza’s Philosophy"
 Warren Montag (Occidental College), "Lucretius Hebraizant: Spinoza’s Reading of Ecclesiastes" Pierre-Francois Moreau (Ecole Normale Supérieure des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Lyon), "From Scripture to Nations: Spinoza’s Theory of History in the Theologico-Political Treatise" Further attraction: Beth Lord (University of Dundee) will launch the Spinoza Research Network Visit the conference webpage here: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/bih/news/spinoza.