The Cambridge Companion to Spinoza’s Ethics

Since its publication in 1677, Spinoza’s Ethics has fascinated philosophers, novelists, and scientists alike. It is undoubtedly one of the most exciting and contested works of Western philosophy. Written in an austere, geometrical fashion, the work teaches us how we should live, ending with an ethics in which the only thing good in itself is understanding. Spinoza argues that only that which hinders us from understanding is bad and shows that those endowed with a human mind should devote themselves, as much as they can, to a contemplative life. This Companion volume provides a detailed, accessible exposition of the Ethics. Written by an internationally known team of scholars, it is the first anthology to treat the whole of the Ethics and is written in an accessible style.

Table of Contents

1 The Textual History of Spinoza’s Ethics

2 The Geometrical Order in the Ethics

3 Spinoza’s Ontology

4 Substance Monism and Identity Theory in Spinoza

5 Spinoza and the Stoics on Substance Monism

6 Spinoza on Necessity

7 Knowledge in Spinoza’s Ethics

8 Spinoza on Action

9 The Anatomy of the Passions

10 Freedom, Slavery, and the Passions

11 Spinoza’s Theory of the Good

12 The Power of Reason in Spinoza

13 Spinoza on the Essence of the Human Body and the Part of the Mind That Is Eternal

About the Author

Olli Koistinen is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Turku in Finland. He is the co-editor, with John Biro, of Spinoza: Metaphysical Themes.