That is, by attribute i understand what the intellect perceives of substance as constituting its essence. Spinozas political philosophy is also a philosophy of the conatus, the individual tendency to exist, which cannot be brought to extinction even in the most powerful leviathan, even in the worst of authoritarian regimes. Improvement of the understanding, ethics and correspondence. The concept of freedom is undoubtedly central to spinozas philosophy. In truth, yaloms explanation is speculation the spinoza problem could have been something else entirely.
Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. The human body is part of a network of physical causality, and the human mind is part of a network of logical relations. At a time of zealotry, spinoza matters more than ever. Feb 26, 20 in the spinoza problem, irvin yalom spins fact and fiction into an unforgettable psychophilosophical drama. Shelf awareness yalom is the perfect author to bring together spinoza and rosenberg in a novel. Long after graduation, rosenberg remains haunted by this spinoza problem.
I have mentioned before, in my ranting about books and reading, my life long difficulties with studying philosophy. It is an excellent critical introduction to a great philosopher and to the sometimes difficult claims of the mind and the heart. The spinoza problem becomes more than a mere academic endeavor. Mar 14, 20 lou marinoff, professor of philosophy, city college of new york, and president, american philosophical practitioners association in the spinoza problem, irvin yalom has given us a suspenseful and meaningful novel spanning nearly three centuries and depicting how philosophy and wisdom can spur evil counterresponses. In the spinoza problem, irvin yalom has given us a suspenseful and meaningful novel spanning nearly three centuries and depicting how philosophy and wisdom can spur evil counterresponses that can continue for centuries. The spinoza problem, by irvin yalom washington post. He is also the author of descartes against the skeptics and the editor of an edition of hobbess leviathan. Spinozas theory of attributes stanford encyclopedia of. The two tales amount to a mystery novel, although it is a mystery of a very cerebral kind.
Jan 10, 2019 this page contains a list of the best books on or by spinoza. By imagining the unexpected intersection of spinozas life with rosenbergs, internationally bestselling novelist irvin d. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The author of two definitive psychotherapy textbooks, dr yalom has written several books for the general reader, including momma and the meaning of life and loves executioner, collections of true and fictionalised tales of therapy. Rosenberg is cast as a subtly immature figure, seeking his. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Mar 15, 20 the spinoza problem is another not to be missed work from one of the great contributors to the scientific and fictional literature of psychotherapy. Considered one of the great rationalists of 17thcentury philosophy, spinozas posthumous masterpiece ethics, in which he opposed descartess mindbody dualism, has earned him recognition as one of western philosophys most important thinkers. Spinoza himself was no stranger to punishment during his lifetime. For this reason, this article first considers the important places where spinoza. Yalom imaginative and erudite sums up the spinoza problem a therapist and a professor of psychiatry at stanfords school of medicine, irvin d. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Yalom has written a novel of ideas which works effectively as a novel.
Seligman, author of flourish in the spinoza problem, irvin yalom has given us a suspenseful and meaningful novel spanning nearly three centuries and depicting how philosophy and wisdom can spur evil counterresponses that can continue for centuries. A psychiatrist with a deep interest in philosophical issues, yalom jointly tells the story of the seventeenthcentury thinker baruch spinoza, his philosophy and subsequent excommunication from the jewish community, and his apparent influence on the nazi ideologue alfred rosenberg. The seven best books on or by spinoza the daily idea. Spinozas philosophy is largely contained in two books. An 800page scholarly overview is unlikely to be best for someone looking for a short beginnerfriendly introduction, for example. It is a discussion and illustration of spinozas on the improvement of the understanding. Yalom tells the story of the seventeenthcentury thinker baruch spinoza, whose philosophy led to his own excommunication from the jewish community, alongside that of the rise and fall of the nazi ideologue alfred rosenberg, who two hundred years later during world war ii ordered his task. When the nazis occupied the netherlands, rosenberg pillaged the spinoza house, including its collection of 151 books, which were replicas not the original copies of works the philosopher had in his library.
The spinoza problem hardcover tattered cover book store. All books, links to which are on the site, located on the public sites not affiliated with us to which our website does not have any relation. This book is more about the problem between the gods chosen people and the self proclaimed superior race than the spinoza problem. Yalom draws much of the discussion verbatim from spinozas two great books, the theological political treatise and the ethics. The writings of spinoza internet sacred text archive. The stories are not only linked to each other, but told by first a chapter from one.
If we are modes rather than substances, then we cannot be selfdetermining. Click here for more information the only complete edition in english of baruch spinozas works, this volume features samuel shirleys preeminent translations, distinguished at once by the lucidity and fluency with which they convey the flavor and meaning of spinozas original texts. The spinoza problem covers a vast amount of extraordinary historical territory from spinozas excommunication from the amsterdam jewish community to the rise and eventual fall of the nazi. His new book, the spinoza problem is an historical novel. Leo strauss dedicated his first book, spinoza s critique of religion, to an examination of the latters ideas. Why spinoza was excommunicated national endowment for. The spinoza problem is another not to be missed work from one of the great contributors to the scientific and fictional literature of psychotherapy.
List of books and articles about spinoza online research. Spinoza in 90 minutes philosophers in 90 minutes series by paul strathern and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Seligman, author of flourish the spinoza problem is a ringing endorsement for an authentically philosophical life, wherein a toweringly heroic philosopher is persecuted in two eras. The first part of the book addresses the relationship between god and the universe. Baruch spinoza has 178 books on goodreads with 118128 ratings. The collected works of spinoza provides, for the first time in english, a truly satisfactory edition of all of spinoza s writings, with accurate and readable translations, based on the best critical editions of the originallanguage texts, done by a scholar who has published extensively on the philosophers work. The spinoza problem, irvin d yalom shop online for books in. What should i read to learn about spinozas philososphy. The spinoza problem is a highly intriguing exploration of the connections between a jewish philosopher and a nazi ideologue. Spinoza proceeds in the appendix to part i of the ethics to offer the following diagnosis. Nonetheless, it is astonishing how little agreement there is among scholars as to some of the most basic features of spinozas theory of attributes.
This page indexes writings of the philosopher baruch spinoza at sacredtexts. Yalom has 63 books on goodreads with 348992 ratings. Examining freewill through spinoza and descartes inquiries. The spinoza problem is a philosophical novel and i chose to read it as an introduction to yalom because i admire spinoza. Among the innumerable treasures the nazis stole from europe during world war ii was a collection of books displayed at the spinoza museum in rijnsburg, holland.
The first purpose of this piece is to explicate spinozas understanding of god, or nature so. Opening with a discussion of spinozas historical and philosophical location as the appropriate context for the. In the spinoza problem, irvin yalom spins fact and fiction into an unforgettable psychophilosophical drama. The novel is a masterpiece, depicting the ultimate triumph of clear and compassionate reason over religious dogma and political pathology alike. Most are nonfiction books about psychiatry, but a few are novels which blend history and psychiatry. The highest activity a human being can attain is learning for understanding, because to understand is to be free. Buy the spinoza problem unabridged by yalom, irvin d isbn. Yaloms ability to make complex ideas and theories accessible is what makes his novels so popular. Spinoza never refers to this period of his life in his extant letters, and thus does not offer his correspondents or us any clues as to why he was expelled. The ethics by baruch spinoza, free pdf, ebook global grey. Book overview a haunting portrait of arthur rosenberg, one of nazisms chief architects, and his obsession with one of historys most influential jewish thinkers in the spinoza problem, irvin yalom spins fact and fiction into an unforgettable psychophilosophical drama. With this essay, i will first explain spinozas and descartess notions regarding freedom of the will, its existence, and its scope. The spinoza problem consists of two compelling narratives.
The spinoza problem gives readers a penetrating look at. Every individual, in spinozas opinion, has a natural right. An 800page scholarly overview is unlikely to be best for someone looking for a short beginnerfriendly. This page contains a list of the best books on or by spinoza. In the book, strauss identified spinoza as part of the tradition of enlightenment rationalism that eventually produced modernity. A reading of spinozas ethics, and spinozas metaphysics. Spinozas scandalous treatise and the birth of the secular age 2011, the philosopher, the priest, and the painter. Within the works of spinoza, as well as those of descartes, issues concerning the nature of freewill come to the fore. So perhaps the best reason for reading spinozas ethics is this. Yalom postulates the spinoza problem was rosenbergs efforts to understand how a great geman like goethe could be influenced by a mere jew, or how a jew could write such an insightful book. The collected works of spinoza, volume i princeton. Uncorrected paperswallace matson 4 excellent essays on spinoza start there. The former choice misrepresents spinozas doctrine his other name for god is nature, while the latter misrepresents his style. Spinozas criticism of the popular belief in free will is rather similar to his analysis of belief in miracles in.
Give up the notion that you must be sure of what you are doing. Using his skills as a psychiatrist, he explores the inner lives of spinoza, the saintly secular philosopher, and of rosenberg, the godless mass murderer. Among the innumerable treasures the nazis stole from europe during world war ii was a collection of books displayed at the spinoza museum in. Yalom is the author of several professional works and a novelist who has introduced three different philosophers into his fictionfirst nietzsche, then schopenhauer and now spinoza. Mar 07, 2011 another important consequence of spinozas account of the human being is his denial of free will. Spinoza 163277 is a philosopher of the seventeenth.
Irvin d yalom alfred rosenberg, a nazi ideologue, is convinced of german cultural greatness but he becomes haunted by the intellectual legacy of his hero, goethe, when he discovers the poets regard for the jewish. The former was published during his lifetime, but the latter, which contains the entirety of his philosophical system in its most rigorous form, was not published until after his death in 1677. A psychiatrist with a deep interest in philosophical issues, yalom jointly tells the story of the seventeenthcentury thinker baruch spinoza, his philosophy and subsequent excommunication from the jewish community, and his apparent influence on the. It becomes a search for understanding of place in a world torn by rigid identity distinctions and unyielding outgroup warfare. Spinoza tried to replace the bible with a scientificallybased ethical system. All we know for certain is that spinoza received, from the amsterdam jewish communitys leadership in 1656, a herem like no other in the period. His new book, the spinoza problem is an historical novel using two very real figures. The robbery of the spinoza library is the only known connection between rosenberg and spinoza. Yalom tells the story of the seventeenthcentury thinker baruch spinoza, whose philosophy led to his own excommunication from the jewish community, alongside that of the rise and fall of the nazi ideologue alfred rosenberg, who two hundred. Electronic versions of the books were found automatically and may be incorrect wrong. He is a member of the american academy of arts and sciences. Writing in latin, which lacks the distinction between personal and impersonal pronouns, he didnt have this problem. Moreover, he identifies spinoza and his works as the beginning of jewish modernity. His denial of the spirit world and his idea that god is nature is probably not everyones cup of tea.
Il problema spinoza 9788854504479 and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Rosenberg is cast as a subtly immature figure, seeking his place in the party he helped to form. His books include a spinoza reader, behind the geometrical method. In the spinoza problem, irvin yalom spins fact and fiction into an unforgettable psychophilosophical novel. Just to be clear, there is no single best book on spinoza. Hence the spinoza problem becomes the title of the book and of rosenbergs activities in the nazi regime. Books are selected by and are not necessarily endorsed by this site. The best book for you will depend on your preferred learning style and the amount of time that you want to spend reading about spinoza. Compared with the rembrandts and vermeers nearby, these antique volumes werent particularly valuable, but the nazi officer assigned to carry out this little act.
The spinoza problem is a ringing endorsement for an authentically philosophical life, wherein a toweringly heroic philosopher is persecuted in two eras. In the event things got worse, and spinoza gave up the idea of publishing the ethics, believing that it would create such a cloud of hostility as to obscure, in the minds even of reasonable people, the real meaning of its arguments. So this book is not just a histrocial novel, but might be read as two contrasting case histories as well. In one conversation toward the end of the book, spinoza begs to differ with his friend franco. Throughout philosophys history, some of its most prominent thinkers have drawn inspiration from sources outside of its canon.
With this essay, i will first explain spinoza s and descartess notions regarding freedom of the will, its existence. Yalom explores the mindsets of two men separated by 300 years. The spinoza problem is an account of two lives, based on historical facts. The spinoza problem, by irvin yalom the washington post. Mar 06, 2012 dr irvin yalom, a retired professor of psychiatry at stanford university, has written many books in his long career. Nov 18, 2015 he specialises in historical novels, but is a psychotherapist. A psychiatrist with a deep t in philosophical issues, yalom jointly tells the story of the seventeenthcentury thinker baruch spinoza, his philosophy and subsequent excommunication from the jewish community, and his apparent influence on the nazi. Spinozas life he belonged to the community of jews from spain and portugal who had fled the inquisition. When sixteenyearold alfred rosenberg is called into his head. It is of my opinion that one of these philosophers, spinoza, in the first book of his ethics, borrowed elements of the kabbalah, to portray his image of god. Irvin d yalom a novel by the masterful storyteller and psychotherapist irvin yalom interweaves the philosophical life of benedict spinoza with the story of the obsessive nazi philosopher alfred rosenberg.
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