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Benedict de Spinoza's writings laid the groundwork for the 18th
century Enlightenment and for modern Biblical criticism. By virtue
of his magnum opus, the Ethics, Spinoza is considered one of
Western philosophy's definitive ethicists. Men would never be
superstitious, if they could govern all their circumstances by set
rules, or if they were always favoured by fortune: but being
frequently driven into straits where rules are useless, and being
often kept fluctuating pitiably between hope and fear by the
uncertainty of fortune's greedily coveted favours, they are
consequently, for the most part, very prone to credulity. The human
mind is readily swayed this way or that in times of doubt,
especially when hope and fear are struggling for the mastery,
though usually it is boastful, over-confident, and vain. After
experience had taught me that all the usual surroundings of social
life are vain and futile; seeing that none of the objects of my
fears contained in themselves anything either good or bad, except
in so far as the mind is affected by them, I finally resolved to
inquire whether there might be some real good having power to
communicate itself, which would affect the mind singly, to the
exclusion of all else: whether, in fact, there might be anything of
which the discovery and attainment would enable me to enjoy
continuous, supreme, and unending happiness. Spinoza was one of the
great rationalists of 17th century philosophy. He helped lay the
groundwork for the 18th century Enlightenment and modern biblical
criticism. His correspondence helps shed light on his ethical
opinions and positions. Required reading for those who wish a
deeper understanding of the writings of Benedict de Spinoza.
An early voice calling for reason as the ruler of the human mind,
and a man with, at best, a Deistic outlook on religion, Spinoza is
perhaps the first truly modern philosopher. He is certainly the
first modern critic of the Bible. His devoted adherents include
many great names of 19th-century literature: Goethe, Coleridge,
Shelley, and George Eliot were deeply swayed by his writing; in the
20th century, Albert Einstein claimed Spinoza's deterministic
outlook as an abiding influence; understanding the writings of all
these figures is greatly enhanced by an appreciation of Spinoza. In
Theologico-Political Treatise, first published anonymously in 1670,
Spinoza rails against religious intolerance and calls for
governments to be entirely secular. His Political Treatise,
unfinished at his death, was published only posthumously, and deals
with democratic government. Dutch philosopher BENEDICT DE SPINOZA
(1632-1677), alternately and paradoxically known as "the best Jew"
and "the best atheist," is best known for his Ethics.
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Ethics (Hardcover)
Benedict de Spinoza
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R754
R671
Discovery Miles 6 710
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Of God (Paperback)
Benedict de Spinoza
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R522
Discovery Miles 5 220
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Ethics (Paperback)
Benedict de Spinoza
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R478
R450
Discovery Miles 4 500
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Ethics (Paperback)
Benedict de Spinoza; Translated by R.H.M. Elwes
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R457
Discovery Miles 4 570
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Ethics (Hardcover)
Benedict de Spinoza; Translated by R.H.M. Elwes
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R679
Discovery Miles 6 790
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Ethics (Paperback)
Benedict de Spinoza; Translated by R.H.M. Elwes
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R343
Discovery Miles 3 430
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The Ethics (Paperback)
Benedict de Spinoza; Translated by R.H.M. Elwes
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R369
Discovery Miles 3 690
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