The Philosophy of Spinoza

by Baruch Spinoza, Joseph Ratner (Editor), Shawn Conners (Editor)

The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1926

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

[India M. Clamp]

Much controversy surrounds Spinoza as he was excommunicated for questioning whether the Hebrew Bible was genuine. Baruch is known as an atheist and this can be problematic when one is residing in a Portugese-Jewish community in Amsterdam. Though there was not a public forum in which he refuted the existence of God and the effects of atheism by banishment via herem.

“For the more capable the body is of being affected in many ways, and affecting external bodies in many ways, the more capable of thinking is the mind. “
---Baruch Spinoza

Despite this controversy there are some glimmering findings within (despite his so-called atheism). Flipping through Philosophy of Benedict de Spinoza on Amazon’s Kindle we ascertain that “miracles, according to the Bible, most clearly exemplify God’s omnipotence” (21). His philosophy is based on reason when compared to Maimonides whose philosophy is based on empiricism. Favoring Maimonides is not a too sinful in this regard. Spinoza died at the age of 44. Curious.

[Teacherhuman]

As philosophical musings on the idea of God go, I like Spinosa's well.

[Christopher]

I didnt like the percentage of it that was slogging through Biblical criticism, so I am knocking it a star just for that, but overall I am very glad I finally got to reading this and I engaged with the parts I did like more here:
https://geotrickster.com/2021/12/10/h...

[djreggiereg Mas Reg]

fortune become the enemies of the people, were brutally murdered (1672).

What happened in 1672 that led to Cornelius and Jan de Witt brutal murder? Was it a loss in a ships fortune? How can ones political fortune become enemies of the people? I do understand trade is king, but what I don't understand is the high turnover rate of the rich. What I mean by this is that these ship sailing to the West for rich & fame were highly invested by merchants & regular joes trying to make something of themselves. I could only imagine the repecussion that resulted in a ship being captured by an opposing country or by pirates, the uninformed people who lost their investments would want to blame someone for their loss. Is this similar to the 401k , Madoff, & Milkin fiasco we recently witnessed. What books will I have to read to understand this?

If someone knows this add a comment.

[Steven Kaminsky]

Important philosophical work

For any one who is trying to understand philosophy, theology, religion, etc. This is an important book. I can see how Spinoza inspired the likes of Thomas Payne, and Albert Einstein, with his appeals to reason, and the intellect.
I have it 4 stars because of the 17th century wiring style, which makes it a laborious read, but over all a very interesting book. I recommend this to any who wish to understand western philosophy.

[Phair]

Reading this has been a goal for several years and I just relocated the book that I received from an aunt decades ago. It's an original 1937 edition. WILL read this in 2010!

Update: It’s now 2021 and I have yet to fulfill my goal 😞

[David Penso]

A lot of well organized ideas

Discussion of types of knowledge with how people should live and behave and how reality is structured and functions. Referred to Descartes and other philosophers and discussed functions of mind to body.

[torque]

A much tougher and boring read than expected. There were however some lightbulbs coming on now and then. May or may not read it again later in life.

[Christopher Waller]

God is the "set of all sets." The body of God is the universe.

From this conception, Spinoza launches one of the most ambitious attempts to reconcile religion and science which I've ever come across. In a sense, Spinoza is the Isaac Newton of the humanities and is surely one of the great geniuses who started Europe down the path to the Enlightenment.

Two dazzling arguments:

1. Prophecy springs from the imagination, not the intellect. Religious texts are imperfect source material on God, filtered through the biases and limitations of their fallible prophets and witnesses.

Quote: "God adapted revelations to the understanding and opinions of the prophets… we must by no means go to the prophets for knowledge"

2. Nature and God are equivalent. It is not miracles but the eternal law of nature which offers the greatest proof of God.

Quote: "God's... existence… cannot be known from miracles, but… from the fixed and immutable order of nature."

Corollary: Because reason (understanding Nature) and faith (understanding God) have the same object, Spinoza offers a partial solution to the "problem of hell."

Quote: "If a man abounds in… charity, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, chastity… whether he be taught by reason only or by the Scripture only, has been in very truth taught by God, and is altogether blessed."

Downsides:

1. The conception of God as a static existence above all thought and matter is deeply compelling argument for omnipotence. However, Spinoza accepts the notion of omnibenevolence far too easily for my taste. The "problem of evil" remains an enormous stumbling block. The obvious question is why Nature must necessarily be absolutely good.

2. This is an abridged copy and the structure of the original is largely lost. The result seems more like musings (i. e. Mencius) than a highly structured architecture (i. e. Dante), which, from what I read, seemed to be one of Spinoza's chief ambitions.

I read only the first part, entitled "on God." I have not yet read "on Man" or "on Man's Well-Being." This rating is a placeholder and relevant only to this edition, for I think that I shall make a true attempt at the full "Ethics" sometime in the future. Spinoza as a whole is certainly worth more than "three stars."

[Wil A Emerson]

In these days of utter confusion, mishaps and disinformation, reading the works of Spinoza is a refreshing thought provoking journey. Challenging and engaging, who, why and what if becomes more relevant as we loose ground on civilization. Time to reintroduce the classic thinkers..

[Nick]

Needs more wine

[levitations]

half a year of baths and bus rides later

[Mary]

Interesting read, thought provoking.

[Preston Malone]

read only parts, hard to plow through