The Power of the Mind

Benedict Spinoza — a Dutch philosopher, naturalist, one of the fathers of European Enlightenment. However, to his contemporaries, he is remembered as a radical free thinker — Spinoza is at the origins of the scientific criticism of the Bible. Being the descendant of a family of Portuguese Jews, the philosopher did not deny the existence of God, but felt and understood the spiritual path differently. For his bold and overly rational views, he was expelled from the Jewish community. His fellow believers accused him of denying the immortality of the soul. Spinoza did not renounce his views, but he had to move to another city due to an attempt on his life. The main works and indisputable masterpieces of the philosopher — “Ethics” and “Treatise on the Improvement of the Mind” are presented in this edition. In these works, Spinoza reflects on such important philosophical themes as the nature of man, our freedom and the meaning of life, the structure of the universe, and the method of knowing the truth. The texts are provided with detailed comments and explanations by Andrey Maidan.