Spinoza

by Karl Jaspers

Book Overview

Taken from the Great Philosphers, Volume II. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156847302
• ISBN13: 9780156847308
• Release Date: October 1974
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Through a Different Lens

This book is a good start if you wish to learn about Spinoza. The fact that it is written by a renowned philosopher certainly adds to its charm. The book is part of a series by the author about individuals he considers to be the great philosophers. His choices are generally good ones. Jaspers tells you most of what you need to know about Spinoza in a sophisticated but easily comprehensible manner. The only problem with the book is that it is now somewhat old and does not take into account recent work on the subject. There has been a great amount of recent scholarship concerning Spinoza's life and philosophy. In addition, there have been several high-level popular treatments. Steven Nadler and Steven B. Smith have written works which have significantly broadened the field. The foregoing should not discourage readers from looking into this book. It is a good and useful one, especially if Spinoza is not the reader's principal interest. Nevertheless, if the reader is primarily interested in Spinoza and in the most up-to-date scholarship, he or she should look elsewhere.