A Spinoza Reader: The Ethics and Other Works

Description

This anthology of the work of Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677) presents the text of Spinoza's masterwork, the Ethics, in what is now the standard translation by Edwin Curley. Also included are selections from other works by Spinoza, chosen by Curley to make the Ethics easier to understand, and a substantial introduction that gives an overview of Spinoza's life and the main themes of his philosophy. Perfect for course use, the Spinoza Reader is a practical tool with which to approach one of the world's greatest but most difficult thinkers, a passionate seeker of the truth who has been viewed by some as an atheist and by others as a religious mystic. The anthology begins with the opening section of the Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect, which has always moved readers by its description of the young Spinoza's spiritual quest, his dissatisfaction with the things people ordinarily strive for--wealth, honor, and sensual pleasure--and his hope that the pursuit of knowledge would lead him to discover the true good. The emphasis throughout these selections is on metaphysical, epistemological, and religious issues: the existence and nature of God, his relation to the world, the nature of the human mind and its relation to the body, and the theory of demonstration, axioms, and definitions. For each of these topics, the editor supplements the rigorous discussions in the Ethics with informal treatments from Spinoza's other works. Title Contents Introduction Preliminaries I. A Portrait of the Philosopher as a Young Man II. A Critique of Traditional Religion A. On Religion and Superstition B. On Revelation C. On God as an Agent in History D. On Law and God as a Lawgiver E. On Miracles F. On Interpreting Scripture III. Fragments of a Theory of Scientific Method A. The Four Kinds of Knowledge B. Achieving Clear and Distinct Ideas IV. From a Non-Geometric Draft of the Ethics A. Of the 'Att:ributes' Which Do Not Belong to God, on Definition B. On Natura naturans C. On Natura naturata D. Of the Human Soul E. An Argument for Immortality F. A Dialogue on God's Causality V. An Early Attempt at Geometrizing Philosophy A. Spinoza to Oldenburg B. Oldenburg to Spinoza C. Spinoza to Oldenburg VI. Two Criticisms of Descartes A. On the Cartesian Circle B. On Descartes' Attempt to Prove God's Existence from His Own VII. The Study Group Has Questions About Definitions A. Simon de Vries to Spinoza B. Spinoza to De Vries C. Spinoza to De Vries Again VIII. The Worm in the Blood The Ethics I. Of God II. Of the Mind III. Of the Origin and Nature of the Affects IV. Of Human Bondage, Or the Powers of the Affects V. Of the Power of the Intellect, Or on Human Freedom Objections and Replies I. Tschirnhaus on Freedom II. Freedom and Necessity III. Tschirnhaus on Problems About the Attributes and Infinite Modes IV. On Knowledge of Other Attributes and Examples of Infinite Modes V. Tschirnhaus on Knowledge of Other Attributes VI. Each Thing is Expressed By Many Minds VII. Tschirnhaus Presses His Objection VIII. Spinoza Replies Again IX. Tschirnhays on Deducing the Existence of Bodies X. On the Uselessness of Descartes' Principles of Natural Things XI. Tschirnhaus Presses The Objection XII. Spinoza's Last Reply Index