John Dunn

Trade, central banking and national debt

Monday, 3 June 2024 at 16:18

Marx in a Sabbatian fervour

Trade, central banking and national debt

The Age of Revolutions (recognised as the period up to and including 1848),heralded the modern age of trade, central banking and national debt secured against physically enforced taxation. Absolutist monarchies fell to constitutionalist states and republics. Freedom of internal trade and encouragements to technical innovation allied the state with commercial growth. Napoleon’s conquests cemented the spread of French revolutionary legislation to much of western Europe. The powers of the Roman Catholic Church, guilds, and manorial aristocracy came under the gun as the goal of an unimpeded borderless movement of money came into view. Traditions crumbled. ‘All that is solid melts into air’, wrote Marx in a Sabbatian fervour, ‘all that is holy is profaned’. Money was free to cross borders. Pre-Renaissance unimpeded economic activity returned. Spinoza had led his people home.

© John Dunn.

Heirs of Sarpi, Spinoza and Locke

Sunday, 2 June 2024 at 17:37

Paolo Sarpi

Heirs of Sarpi, Spinoza and Locke

Some Sabbatian-Frankists were active during the French Revolution, such as Moses Dobruška, a son of Frank's Sabbatian cousin in Offenbach Shendl Dobruska. However, the opposition to the ancient regime was on a far wider front than this and drew upon the philosophical and socio-economic legacy of Sarpi, Spinoza and Locke. Jonathan Israel has especially highlighted the specific influence of Spinoza’s philosophy in this context. However, I contend that the messianism and the Marrano heritage of crypto-identities and intrigue were crucial parts of this Enlightenment cultural milieu too. The metapolitical struggle in France was won by the heirs of Sarpi, Spinoza and Locke and their weapon of deception was the Encyclopedia, a complete alphabetical treatment of the whole field of human knowledge from the standpoint of the Enlightenment.

© John Dunn.

'Shattering of the vessels’

Saturday, 1 June 2024 at 22:38

Isaac Luria

'Shattering of the vessels’

Once the Marrano interpretation of Lurianic Kabbalah is understood as anti-humanism, revenge against the Renaissance nation state and recovery from the ‘shattering of the vessels’ which culminated in the Peace of Westphalia, then other elements fit into place. Tikkun was the anti-humanist Spinozism targeted against the Renaissance state. In addition there was an outcome that was consistent with the motive - the actual fall of a sovereign Renaissance state, broken by debt and intrigue, leading to the eventual rise across Europe of ‘The Republick of Merchants’.

© John Dunn.