Spinoza and money. Politics as economy of passions

There is a disturbing ambivalence in regard to the pursuit of wealth and riches in Spinoza's philosophy. On the one hand, all the texts related to knowledge and wisdom show a very clear intention to limit their quest. Even though the life of free men, guided by reason, will not be an austere existence, wise men will be able to self-regulate their desire for riches so that their minds are not obsessed by one single object of desire. On the other hand, political texts show a completely different view of wealth. As we can see in the Political Treatise, because ignorant people are not able to self-regulate their desires, the State must promote unlimited pursuit of money so that it can unite human beings by creating social norms. We try here to explain this ambivalence by interpreting Spinoza's politics in the light of economics and the logic of the market. Only the market can help us explain why, although wise men will be united by reason, ignorant people will be united by their unlimited desire for wealth and glory.