Ethics

Benedict de Spinoza 1677

This book examines God, nature, and human emotions through definitions, arguments, and proofs. Its surprising claim that God and nature are one unfolds like a geometry textbook.

307 pages 5h 57m reading time

Why it lasts

  • One of the great works of Western philosophy, and the main text of a thinker often called a founder of modern secular thought.
  • Argues that everything happens by necessity, so free will is an illusion, and that people become free only by understanding the causes of what they feel and do.
  • Argues that our emotions can be studied like any other part of nature, and that living by reason brings a calm, lasting joy.
  • It shaped major thinkers such as Goethe, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Einstein, who said he believed in "Spinoza's God."

Behind the book

  • Published only after his death

    Spinoza feared the danger of printing it, so friends published it secretly within months of his death in 1677.

  • No publisher's name printed

    The first edition hid the printer's name and gave only the author's initials, "B.D.S.", to protect those involved.

  • Banned soon after release

    Dutch authorities banned it in 1678, and the Catholic Church placed it on its list of forbidden books in 1679.

  • Years in the making

    Spinoza worked on it for more than ten years, sharing drafts with a small circle of trusted friends.

Translated by R. H. M. Elwes