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.
