Salvation from Despair: A Reappraisal of Spinoza’s Philosophy

Voorkant
Springer Science & Business Media, 31 jul 1973 - 270 pagina's
My purpose in this book is to re-interpret the philosophy of Spinoza to a new generation. I make no attempt to compete with the historical scholar ship of A. H. Wolfson in tracing back Spinoza's ideas to his Ancient, Hebrew and Mediaeval forerunners, or the meticulous philosophical scrutiny of Harold Joachim, which I could wish to emulate but cannot hope to rival. I have simply relied upon the text of Spinoza's own writings in an effort to grasp and to make intelligible to others the precise meaning of his doctrine, and to decide whether, in spite of numerous apparent and serious internal conflicts, it can be understood as a consistent whole. In so doing I have found it necessary to correct what seem to me t0' be mis conceptions frequently entertained by commentators. Whether or not I am right in my re-interpretation, it will, I hope, contribute something fresh, if not to the knowledge of Spinoza, at least to the discussion of what he really meant to say. The limits within which I am constrained to write prevent me from drawing fully upon the great mass of scholarly writings on Spinoza, his life and times, his works and his philosophical ideas. I can only try to make amends for omissions by listing the most important works in the Spinoza bibliography, for reference by those who would seek to know more about his philosophy. This list I have added as an appendix.
 

Geselecteerde pagina's

Inhoudsopgave

CONTEMPORARY DESPAIR AND ITS ANTIDOTE
3
2 Reactions against the past
4
3 Groundspring of philosophy
8
4 Spinozas Scientific Attitude
11
GEOMETRICAL METHOD
15
2 Critics of Spinozas method
19
3 Deduction
21
4 Geometry and Metaphysics
28
4 One coherent doctrine
145
5 Spinoza and Plato on the Good and the Expedient
147
6 Moral Weakness
149
7 The Reality of Evil
152
THE MASTERY OF FATE
160
2 The Mastery Over the Passions
166
3 The Dictates of Reason
172
4 Selfishness and Selfsacrifice
174

GOD
31
THE ABSURDITY OF ATHEISM
33
2 The Conception of God
35
3 The Existence of God
39
4 Dismissal of the Indictment
46
GODS CREATIVITY
48
2 Attributes and Modes
50
3 Modes Infinite and Finite
55
4 The Causality of God
57
5 Interpretations Comment and Criticism
58
6 Solution of the Problem
64
7 Residual Difficulties
69
MAN
75
BODY AND MIND
77
2 Mind as Felt Body
80
3 Substantial Identity
82
4 Rejection of Parallelism
84
5 Alleged ambiguity of idea
85
6 Idea Ideae
87
7 Passivity and Activity
89
8 Imaginatio
93
9 The Common Order of Nature Time Measure and Number
98
10 Adequate Knowledge
103
PASSION AND ACTION
110
3 Primary and Secondary Affects
113
4 Active Emotions
118
5 Human Nature
119
6 Freedom
122
7 Teleology
126
8 The Will and Human Responsibility
132
HUMAN WELFARE
139
GOOD AND EVIL
141
2 True Good and Supreme Good
143
3 Perfection
144
5 Vice and Virtue
176
THE STATE AND POLITICS
181
2 Philosophical Roots
182
3 Natural Law Natural Rights and the State of Nature
183
4 Sovereignty and Law
188
5 The Rights and Powers of the Sovereign
191
6 Limitations on the Power and Action of the State
193
7 Political Freedom
196
8 Practical Considerations
197
RELIGION
201
2 The Intellectual Love of God
202
3 The Tractalus TheologicoPoliticus
205
4 Revealed Religion and Superstition
207
5 Biblical Criticism
210
6 Prophecy
215
7 The Election of the Jews
219
8 Miracles
221
9 The True and Universal Religion
222
10 Spinozas attitude to Christianity
225
HUMAN IMMORTALITY
227
2 Traditional ideas of Immortality
228
3 A Common Interpretation of Spinoza
231
4 Difficulties and Criticisms
232
5 Idea as Transcendent
235
6 Time and Eternity
237
7 Mind as Idea of Body
239
8 Misinterpretations and Misconceptions
243
9 Blessedness
246
EPILOGUE
247
SPINOZA IN RETROSPECT
249
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX
259
INDEX
263
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