Ethics: Including the Improvement of the Understanding (Great Books in Philosophy) [Paperback]

Benedict de Spinoza (Author), Benedictus de Spinoza (Author), Robert M. Baird (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Great Books in Philosophy | Publication Date: February 1989

Ethics Including the Improvement of the Understanding, written by legendary author Benedictus de Spinoza, is widely considered to be one of the greatest classic texts of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, Ethics Including the Improvement of the Understanding is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Benedictus de Spinoza is highly recommended. Published by Classic Books International and beautifully produced, Ethics Including the Improvement of the Understanding would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 305 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (February 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879755288
• ISBN-13: 978-0879755287
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars Rewarding experience, March 24, 2011

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Philonous (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethics: Including the Improvement of the Understanding (Great Books in Philosophy) (Paperback)

Benedict Spinoza (aka Baruch Spinoza), was a Dutch philosopher whom his loyal friends published his book The Ethics posthumously at 1677. Spinoza's book the Ethics is probably one of the most daunting yet profound book to encounter for any readers from the most casual readers to the very astute scholar. One of the main reasons why most readers find Spinoza's book very challenging to read is because of his supposed Geometric Method, which puzzles many readers and scholars why Spinoza chose to formulate his metaphysics in that peculiar manner. Some would even go as far as to dismiss the Ethics as a whole because of the Geometric Method as being obsolete. As Bertrand Russell correctly pointed out "It would show a lack of understanding to blame Spinoza for his geometrical method...".

Thus anyone who is sufficiently curious to read this book should at the very least try to understand and be patient with what Spinoza is trying to say. To simply read Spinoza's Ethics without any background knowledge of his overall philosophical views will only make the reading experience more difficult, and would have a risk of readers misunderstanding Spinoza's views. To alleviate this difficulty to a tolerable level, I would recommend anyone to read Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity (Jewish Encounters) by Rebecca Goldstein, Spinoza: An Introduction to His Philosophical Thought (Pelican) by Stuart Hampshire (He also re-published this book under a new title named "Spinoza and Spinozism"), Philosophy of Spinoza: Unfolding the Latent Process of His Reasoningby Harry W. Wolfson (Which is an extremely important literature on Spinoza, it is considered indispensible by many Spinoza Scholar), Spinoza's Book of Life: Freedom and Redemption in the Ethics by Steven B. Smith, Spinoza's 'Ethics': An Introduction (Cambridge Introductions to Key Philosophical Texts) by Stephen Nadler, Spinoza and Other Heretics. Vol. 1by Yirmiahu Yovel. I must confess that I have not read all of these books, but I read enough of them to say that these books were a useful guide for Spinoza's Ethics.

Reading Spinoza's Ethics has been extremely rewarding experience not only because I read one of the most difficult books in philosophy, but also because of having a glimpse at the most profound philosophical insight envision by Spinoza; The Ethics essentially says that every individual things exist as modes of an attribute of an eternal and infinite Substance (which he also calls God), whose very nature necessarily dictates itself to be the eternal cause and unity of all existence; in other words all individual beings can only exist as being a part of something greater than themselves, and something which manifest itself through all things. Anything (modes) that exist in the Substance cannot escape from the deterministic causal system, since anything that exist within the Substance has a cause. Human beings are no exception, since their existence, actions, and emotions are modes that are caused by other modes in the Substance. Our emotions are modes that are caused by external causes, which deprives us of having a stable emotional life, since our emotions are part of tumbling waves which we have no control over. However we can liberate ourselves from this condition by exercising our understanding to understand our emotions adequately by understanding their causes, which gives us power over them. This eventually leads us to an intellectual love of God, a Substance in which all our experiences can be elucidated under the Substance in which we are a part of. This summary, however, is only a glimpse of the beauty of the Ethics...so I suggest that anyone who comes across the Ethics should read it to have a more in depth and broader understanding.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for a really great price, April 27, 2009

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Greg Walker - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ethics: Including the Improvement of the Understanding (Great Books in Philosophy) (Paperback)

This book was in excelent condition and was shipped very quickly. The seller was great! :)

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spinoza Bad - Translation Good, August 22, 2007

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Strat Man (Shelton CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethics: Including the Improvement of the Understanding (Great Books in Philosophy) (Paperback)

Spinoza himself was a major disappointment. Even given the period he comes from, it was impossible to look at his philosophy as "enlightened" -- and certainly not enlightening.

However, I am glad that I worked my way through the material. The Elwes translation was not always easy to understand. However, the annotations made it as clear as I can imagine it being. The fault lies in Spinoza's highly circular style, not Elwes' presentation.