Spinoza

Ethics

The God-intoxicated philosopher, as Novalis called him. The Ethics — written in geometric form, with axioms, propositions, and proofs — argues that God and Nature are one substance. Excommunicated by the synagogue, reviled by Christians, he lived grinding lenses and thinking with terrifying clarity.

Key works

• Ethics1677 (posthumous)— God, nature, and freedom — demonstrated geometrically

Connections

External