Le multiple, sa nature et ses vertus

Refusing the traditional concept of power as property of one person, as well as the Hobbesian theory of political representation, Spinoza holds that the actual power or state is inherently plural and that the participation of the multitude in the political deliberations makes them more rational and guarantees they will be in favour of freedom. However, despite being multiple by nature, the state presents itself as a unity. Otherwise it would be impossible to carry out the power of a multitude. This paper aims to show how, in Spinoza's system, the plural nature of power as potentia is compatible with the representation of power as potestas, as something necessarily unique, by turning to the concept of «configuration» as used in Nobert Elias' Sociology.