Spinoza: Practical Philosophy (Paperback)

by Gilles Deleuze (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
tr Robert Hurley

Language Notes
Text: English, French (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 225 pages
• Publisher: City Lights Publishers (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872862186
• ISBN-13: 978-0872862180
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #303,176 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Companion to the Ethics, March 25, 2005

By	Daniel Rose (Akron, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Not only is this a great companion to the Ethics, but I would go as far as to recommend this as the only companion that one use when first tackling the Ethics. Working through the different concepts of the Ethics and working out how they form an interrelated system on one's own is crucial to really understanding Spinoza, and the process, in a way, is itself a demonstration of his thought.

This is undoubtly tough, however, and Deleuze can help; his book, the bulk of which consists of explanations of his various definitions in A-Z dictionary form, helps one better articulate their sense of what is going on in the Ethics and is a handy reference for keeping everything straight in one's mind.

The other sections of the book, consisting of a short biographical chapter, a chapter on the difference between Spinoza's ethics and a morality and a chapter on Spinoza on evil help frame the perspective from which one should view Spinza's thought and help explain how and why and in what context he put his thought into writing.

After completing the Ethics, if one wishes to read further secondary sources, I also highly recommend Antonio Negri's 'the Savage Anomoly.' Also, the new 'Spinoza's book of life' book seems quite promising, although I have not checked it out yet.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book is not for everyone, February 27, 2008

By	John Scott Schwab "trapsand" (Trap Sand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are familiar with philosophy, and if you are interested in Sponiza, than this book is a must. But it is not easy or light reading. What is amazing is how this book let's you into the philosopher's soul. Spinoza is the voice of reason and logic. Of course, he paid a horrible price for his belief that God can be sought out through reason and logic, as opposed to emotion and gut level feelings.

We are born with the fear of death. I wonder how Spinoza ever found the inner strength to keep on searching for God without the dual crutches of myth and the belief that there is a reward in the afterlife.

One last thing, and that is that most of the great and fearless men who signed the Constitution were diests. Without Spinoza's insights, the underlying belief in democracy, which is than men can discover TRUTH through reasoning and logic, would have never happened.