The Essential Spinoza: Ethics and Related Writings

by Baruch Spinoza, Michael L. Morgan (Editor), Samuel Shirley (Translator)

Designed to facilitate a thoughtful and informed reading of Spinoza's Ethics , this anthology provides the Ethics , related writings, and two valuable List of Propositions from the Ethics , which helps readers to trace the development of key themes; and Citations in Proofs, a list of all the propositions, corollaries, and scholia in the Ethics, together with all the definitions, axioms, propositions, corollaries, and scholia to which Spinoza refers in the proofs--thus, readers can locate, for a given item, each instance where Spinoza refers to it.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Classics, College

360 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2006

About the author

Controversial pantheistic doctrine of Dutch philosopher and theologian Baruch Spinoza or Benedict advocated an intellectual love of God; people best know Ethics , his work of 1677.

People came considered this great rationalist of 17th century.

In his posthumous magnum opus, he opposed mind–body dualism of René Descartes and earned recognition of most important thinkers of west. This last indisputable Latin masterpiece, which Spinoza wrote, finally turns and entirely destroys the refined medieval conceptions.

After death of Baruch Spinoza, often Benedictus de Spinoza, people realized not fully his breadth and importance until many years. He laid the ground for the 18th-century Enlightenment and modern Biblical criticism, including conceptions of the self and arguably the universe. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said of all contemporaries, "You are either a Spinozist or not a philosopher at all."

Reviews

[Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a lens grinder, the guy produced some prolific madness. A melange of deism and pantheism with step by step proofs. A good way to screw with your head if you find yourself feeling a little too sane and an interesting way to look at God along with numerous other facets of the human condition. Technical, but fun.

["Nico" · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like a lot of folks, I was raised christian and was required to attend church long after I had renounced its doctrines. Spinoza had a similar experience. To both of us, it has long been clear that God exists insofar as they are believed to exist, and insofar as all reference to God is reference to Being—an interconnected unity of all Substance. Having been made aware of this agreement through one comrade and so many authors' mentions of Spinoza, this was required reading for me.

But even going into this read agreeing with the core of what the author presents did not lighten the load this book heaves on its readers in so many Proofs and Corrolaries. See, Spinoza, a Cartesian, has an obsession with the concept of Reason, particularly expressed through geometry. This obsession created a felt need for Spinoza to express his ideas in the form of geometric Proofs, Propositions, Corollaries and Scholisms, and this greatly detracts from the quality of the book. It has the misfortune of being designed as a textbook to be studied slowly and methodically under tutelage, and this textbook is over 300 years old, making it an absolute slog to get through.

In short, this can be an exhausting read. Maybe consider just reading the Propositions and/or a summary somewhere.

[Jonathan Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spinoza make some intensely profound postulations which are central to the modern understanding of pantheistic reality. Some are not quite as profound, relevant, or accurate, though it is still a fascinating read and one worth dissecting, especially for the modern pantheist. Spinoza was ahead of his time.

[jt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots going on here. While I obviously do not agree with him, many of Spinoza's points are absolutely moving.

[Grace Leber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I've ever wanted to say about the universe but never had the words for

[Aazib Chaudhry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the Ethics, and so this rating is only for that part.