The project launched just a few days ago, and already I have learned of some interesting people doing research on Spinoza, architecture, and equality.

Gary Shapiro, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Richmond, got in touch with some papers on Spinoza and landscape architecture, which should be fascinating.

Over at The Funambulist – a blog on architecture, philosophy, and politics – Leopold Lambert has published the first of his Funamulist Pamphlets on Spinoza (free download from Punctum Books). There are several chapters connecting to our project themes – including “Architectures of Joy” and “Architectures of the conatus”. I’m really looking forward to reading this.

And later this week, I’m looking forward to catching up with Anya Topolski (KU Leuven) – plus everyone on the Spinoza and Politics panel – at the London Conference in Critical Thought. Topolski is doing important research on the concept of Tzedekah as used by Spinoza: a Hebrew term referring to both charity and debt. I’ll be giving a paper on Spinoza’s concept of equality in the Theological-Political Treatise, and the significance of debt for this concept (powerpoint available here).