Ethics is a philosophical book written by Baruch Spinoza. It was written in Latin. Although it was published posthumously in 1677, it is his most famous work, and is considered his magnum opus. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (737x785, 178 KB) Summary Partial first page of Spinozas Ethics (book), as seen in the 1952 edition of the Great Books of the Western World. ... Benedictus de Spinoza or Baruch de Spinoza (Hebrew: ברוך שפינוזה) (lived November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Jewish origin, considered one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy and, by virtue of his magnum opus the posthumous Ethics, one of the definitive ethicists. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera), from the Latin meaning great work,[1] refers to the best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author, artist, or composer, and most commonly one who has contributed a very large amount of material. ...

The style and system of the book is as Spinoza says, "demonstrated in geometrical order", with axioms and definitions followed by propositions. For Spinoza, this is a considerable improvement over the style of Descartes's writing in his Meditations, which reads like a diary. René Descartes René Descartes (IPA: , March 31, 1596 – February 11, 1650), also known as Cartesius, worked as a philosopher and mathematician. ... Meditations on First Philosophy (subtitled In which the existence of God and the real distinction of mind and body, are demonstrated) is a philosophical treatise written by René Descartes first published in Latin in 1641. ...

The book is called the Ethics because the main purpose of the book is to show that the ethical and content life can be attained by the life of reason and thought, which for Spinoza is literally contemplating God (the one infinite substance). Spinoza also says that one will attain comfort by realizing that all things are predestined and cannot be changed. That is, in essence everything happens by God's will, and we therefore should not fear for the future.

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Ethics (Spinoza)

The Chief Works of Benedict De Spinoza translated by R. H. M. Elwes, 1951: Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

Volume II; ISBN 0-486-20250-X

The Ethics:

Part One - Concerning God. Table of Contents.

1P1, 1P2, 1P3, 1P4, 1P5, Conclusion.

Part Two - Of the Nature and Origin of the Mind. Table of Contents.

Part Three - Of the Origin and Nature of the Emotions. Table of Contents.

Part Four - Of Human Bondage or the Strength of the Emotions. Table of Contents.

Part Five - On the Power of the Understanding, or of Human Freedom. Table of Contents.