Abstract:

Modern philosophy of politics can be considered as a philosophical movement, challenging the philosophy of politics, generally known as the classical philosophy of politics, and challenging mostly the ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Aristoteles, Plato along with the medieval Islamic, Jewish and Christian traditions of thought, and also basically diverging from these traditions of thought. According to the common notion, Machiavelli is one of the pioneers and the first representatives of this perception of politics. Machiavelli preferred either to change the ancient perception of virtue which developed in accordance with the ancients' perception of nature, or interpreted these subjects in a very different way. He also struggled to achieve this rupture from the medieval perception of politics by questioning the authority of the church and its role in politics. A continuum of the Machiavelli's views can be seen in Spinoza who is one of the 17th century philosophers. Through its many aspects, the tracks of this rupture from the ancient and medieval perceptions can be seen in Spinoza's philosophy as well. That is also why he directed harsh criticisms to bible in his Theologico-Political Treatise. So presents he one of the distinctive features special to the modern age by rejecting the possibility of miracles and explaining everything within the frame of natural events. In the scope of this study, we will try to examine how these two philosophers challenged the classical tradition and what results their challenge emerged.

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