
Renowned for his metaphysics Spinoza made significant contributions to understanding the human mind the emotions moral philosophy & political philosophy Beginning with an overview of Spinoza's life Michael Della Rocca carefully unpacks & explains Spinoza's philosophy his metaphysics of substance & argument at the center of his whole system that God is the sole independent substance; his account of the human mind & its relation to the body; his theory that human beings tend towards self-preservation & his most famous work the Ethics including the problem of free will; & his writings on the state religion & scripture Della Rocca concludes with a chapter on Spinoza's legacy & how modern philosophers Hume Hegel & Nietzsche responded to Spinoza's challenge Ideal for those coming to Spinoza for the first time as well as those already acquainted with his thought Spinoza is essential reading for anyone studying philosophy