
The Ethics - (Ethica Ordine Geometrico Demonstrata)
PART I. CONCERNING GOD. - DEFINITIONS.
PART II. - ON THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF THE MIND
PART III. - ON THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF THE EMOTIONS
PART IV: - Of Human Bondage, or the Strength of the Emotions
In this groundbreaking philosophical treatise, the author sets out to map the very foundations of existence with the precision of geometry. Beginning with clear definitions—such as substance, attribute, and mode—the work sketches a picture of a universe governed by immutable principles rather than chance. The opening sections introduce a conception of God as an absolutely infinite being, whose nature underlies all that is.
From these definitions the author derives a series of self‑evident axioms and propositions, each proved step by step in a rigorously logical style. The arguments explore how causes and effects relate, why distinct substances cannot share the same essence, and what it means for something to be truly free. Readers are invited into a meditation on eternity, necessity, and the structure of reality that has shaped modern philosophy and continues to spark thoughtful discussion.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (498K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Tom Sharpe. HTML version by Al Haines.
Release date
2003-02-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1632–1677
A bold and deeply original thinker of the Dutch Golden Age, he helped reshape philosophy with a vision of nature, freedom, and human life that still feels startlingly modern. Best known for the posthumously published Ethics, he remains one of the central voices of early modern thought.
View all books
by Benedictus de Spinoza

by Benedictus de Spinoza

by Benedictus de Spinoza

by Benedictus de Spinoza

by Benedictus de Spinoza

by Benedictus de Spinoza

by Benedictus de Spinoza

by Benedictus de Spinoza