I've mentioned the ideas of Spinoza here a couple of times, notably in the post on 2001: A Space Odyssey. I like the wide-open subtlety and inclusion of his thinking, even if I don't agree with every conclusion. He has a lot to say about our interests too.
If anyone wants to know more, but hasn't found a good starting point, I've just come late to an ongoing series of bite-sized posts: part one here; part two here. I recommend reading carefully through both, to see how expansive that thinking can be.
Here's that poem again too; you'll need to scroll down.
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2 comments:
It's a strange thing to find myself saying, but I read Spinoza years ago on the urging of an ex-girlfriend (who was a bit weird and controlling) and I found it has some really strong and useful lessons about life. I think ever since I've slowly found his philosophy merging into my worldview - particularly his views on passions, and how one can control one's own response to the world around one, even if one cannot control the world itself.
Another valuable idea. The concepts do seem slow builders, and reward reflection, broad and deep.
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