The Political Treatise draws all the conclusions from The Ethics: after having addressed individuality, Spinoza attacks the life of man in society. It traces the genesis of the political constitution of a group. It shows how the right to preserve one's life takes precedence over the right to live according to one's will. Everyone must cede to others the power to govern them. And this other must ensure the safety and well-being of his subordinate. This is then the establishment of civil law. The civil status exists only to prevent the exercise of natural law, which is quick to sow discord. In this regard, power must guarantee equality in principle between men. Spinoza opens up a whole political horizon there: the “communism of reason”. Or how to think about a society in order to prevent it from degenerating and tyranny and so that peace and freedom reign. Written shortly before the death of its author, this Treatise condenses the fundamental principles of his philosophy and elevates Spinoza as a precursor of the French philosophers of the 18th century. By choosing not to translate imperium into French, Bernard Pautrat marks a break with all previous translations. Through this radical choice, it captures all the philosophical and political depth of the Treaty, which defends the law "defined by the power of the multitude".