The Collected Works of Spinoza provides, for the first time in English, a truly satisfactory edition of all of Spinoza's writings, with accurate and readable translations, based on the best critical editions of the original-language texts, done by a scholar who has published extensively on the philosopher's work.
This first volume contains Spinoza's single most important work, the Ethics, and four earlier works: the Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect, the Short Treatise on God, Man, and His Well-Being, Descartes' "Principles of Philosophy," and Metaphysical Thoughts. Also included are Spinoza's letters from the periods when these works were being written.
The elaborate editorial apparatus--including prefaces, notes, glossary, and indexes--assists the reader in understanding one of the world's most fascinating, but also most difficult, philosophers. Of particular interest is the glossary-index, which provides extensive commentary on Spinoza's technical vocabulary.
A milestone of scholarship more than forty-five years in the making, The Collected Works of Spinoza is an essential edition for anyone with a serious interest in Spinoza or the history of philosophy.
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."
Spinoza’s Letters and his Principles of Descartes’ Philosophy are fantastic context for both him as a person and his project in the Ethics. It’s all fantastic and fascinating in my opinion - there’s some extra clarity on his ethical and religious stances through his conversation with WV Blijenbergh, which I am sympathetic toward.
My fascination with Spinoza realised he had some limits for my interest. I still love him though. Below is my original review:
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I've been a Spinoza Enthusiast since I had first read him in my Rationalists Class back in my second year of University.
For such a great and marvelous thinker, Spinoza is often too much overlooked! This translation is not only the most ambitious of Spinoza I've seen, but it also the only one have read that actually includes Spinoza's letters.
Often, if one even mentions Spinoza. He is mentioned in reference to Einstein--who was a Spinozist himself, meaning he believed in "Spinoza's God."
Who was this God? Well! Spinoza was a Pantheist, though often accused of being an Atheist (Even in modern times.) But essentially does not believe in God in the traditional Western sense. Though there is perhaps some similarities with certain Jewish sects of today, Spinoza was heavily controversial. Claiming that we lived in a monism, in which we were aligned with God in unity. This unity would include everything within the Cosmos, as such God is not personal or " anthropomorphized" He does not care about you personally, nor does he have much of a human like essence itself. as such, Spinoza wasn't too picky if you say, prefered to call this "Nature." But understanding Spinoza's God, is core to understanding Spinozism.
Lucky for you--he was someone who diligently and clearly wrote out what he wanted you to understand from his philosophy. For what it may be worth in say, Hegelian philosophy, in which Hegel embraces contradiction in many ways. Spinoza is in the contrary, assuming that the world can logically explained. In some ways he can be a bit similar to the Analytic philosophers in that way.
That being said, Spinoza will also echo future continental philosophers, in say, "God, Man, And His Well Being," you may find a proto-phenomenology. This is something else that I enjoy about Spinoza, there are numerous examples of Spinoza shedding light on questions that he would have never heard of experienced. As well as explaining his own Philosophical views that are sadly too often overlooked. Spinoza is as significant and important to read just as much as Hegel or Kant, Plato and so on.