Ethics (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)

An economical access to Spinoza’s main work.

I've read the Introduction of this book a few times because just the Introduction is a great book in and of itself!! This Introduction contains references to letters and excerpts from other books written by Spinoza, as well as fragments and references from other authors (like Decartes and Giordano Bruno) which gives us a well rounded view of Spinoza's mind as well as the world of ideas where Spinoza was immersed.This "panoramic view" of Spinoza's thought and the context where his work was written has truly helped appreciate and understand at a deeper level the greatness of Spinoza's thought.Reading this introduction has also been a wonderfully solid foundation which has made it so much easier for me to understand Spinoza's writings.I'm very grateful I found this book!!

Book is great but not as described

I must admit, stumbling upon Spinoza's work was somewhat of an accident for me. I happened to be listening to a debate one day in which a secularist described him as, "one of the greatest ethicists that ever lived." Such a tall accolade intrigued me which lead me to pursue some information about this unknown man. It lead me to this book.Describing the book, it is quite possibly one of the most abstract and difficult pieces of literature that I have tried to read and understand. Some out there may find this only moderately difficult to comprehend, to that I say good for you! But nevertheless I spent quite a few days reading each of Spinoza's propositions and thinking on them. I can happily say that the time spent on this book was well worth the effort. For the period that he grew up in, Spinoza was able to transcend his environment with his ideas about human intelligence, human bondage, god, and more.It is such a shame that here in Midwestern America, we are never exposed to such innovative ways of thinking such as the ones Spinoza possessed.This is not a book that you will read once, you may find yourself returning to it time and time again, for as you move through life, Spinoza's words will allow you to transcend what your environment conditions you to accept.

Decent translation of Ethics by Benedict Spinoza. The fact that I find Spinoza redundant and irrelevant in no way reflects on this particular version. I got this book because it was what my book club was reading.

as described

Felt it helped round out my grasp and understanding of classical thinking.

Got bored right away. There's gold in here but you really have to dig. I don't dig well anymore.