Think Least of Death

Spinoza on How to Live and How to Die

Stefen Nadler

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Hardback

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English

Princeton University Pres
01 December 2020

Philosophy; Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology; Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge; Ethics & moral philosophy

From Pulitzer Prize-finalist Steven Nadler, an engaging guide to what Spinoza can teach us about life's big questions.

In 1656, after being excommunicated from Amsterdam's Portuguese-Jewish community for 'abominable heresies' and 'monstrous deeds,' the young Baruch Spinoza abandoned his family's import business to dedicate his life to philosophy. He quickly became notorious across Europe for his views on God, the Bible, and miracles, as well as for his uncompromising defense of free thought. Yet the radicalism of Spinoza's views has long obscured that his primary reason for turning to philosophy was to answer one of humanity's most urgent questions: How can we lead a good life and enjoy happiness in a world without a providential God? In Think Least of Death, Pulitzer Prize-finalist Steven Nadler connects Spinoza's ideas with his life and times to offer a compelling account of how the philosopher can provide a guide to living one's best life.

In the Ethics, Spinoza presents his vision of the ideal human being, the 'free person' who, motivated by reason, lives a life of joy devoted to what is most important-improving oneself and others. Untroubled by passions such as hate, greed, and envy, free people treat others with benevolence, justice, and charity. Focusing on the rewards of goodness, they enjoy the pleasures of this world, but in moderation. 'The free person thinks least of all of death,' Spinoza writes, 'and his wisdom is a meditation not on death but on life.'

'A helpful explication of [Spinoza's] ideas about ethics, the afterlife, and human nature.' — Kirkus Reviews

By: Stefen Nadler
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9780691183848
ISBN 10: 0691183848
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 01 December 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Steven Nadler is the author of many books, including Rembrandt's Jews, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Spinoza: A Life, which won the Koret Jewish Book Award, and A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age (Princeton). He is the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy and Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.