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Ethics

by Benedictus de Spinoza (1632–1677)

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  • 6 hours to read
  • 6 chapters
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"Ethics" by Benedictus de Spinoza is a philosophical treatise written between 1661 and 1675. Using Euclid's geometric method, Spinoza constructs a radical philosophical system from definitions and axioms, deriving propositions about God, nature, mind, and human emotion. He argues that God and the universe are one, that mind and body are unified, and that human beings lack free will. Through logical demonstration, Spinoza presents a deterministic vision where everything follows necessarily from the nature of existence itself.

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  • Ethics

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Part I: Concerning God

DEFINITIONS.

I. By that which is self—caused, I mean that of which the essence involves existence, or that of which the nature is only conceivable as existent.

II. A thing is called finite after its kind, when it can be limited by another thing of the same nature; for instance, a body is called finite because we always conceive another greater body. So, also, a thought is limited by another thought, but a body is not limited by thought, nor a thought by body.

III. By substance, I mean that which is in itself, and is conceived through itself: in other words, that of which a conception can be formed independently of any other conception.

IV. By attribute, I mean that which the intellect perceives as constituting the essence of substance.

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Contents

  1. Part I: Concerning God
  2. Part II
  3. Part III
  4. Part IV
  5. Appendix
  6. Preface

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About this edition

This free edition of Ethics by Benedictus de Spinoza comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #3800, released 2003-02-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Philosophy & Ethics.

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