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Spinoza in 90 Minutes Audiobook
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(3.05) - 66 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Spinoza’s brilliant metaphysical system was derived neither from reality nor experience. Starting from basic assumptions, with a series of geometric proofs he built a universe which was also God—one and the same thing, the classic example of pantheism. Although his system seems an oddity today, Spinoza’s conclusions are deeply in accord with modern thought, from science (the holistic ethics of today’s ecologists) to politics (the idea that the state exists to protect the individual). Both Spinoza’s system and conclusions have compelling beauty unequaled in the history of philosophy.
In Spinoza in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Spinoza’s life and ideas and explains their influence on man’s struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Spinoza’s work, a brief list of suggested readings for those who wish to delve deeper, and chronologies that place Spinoza within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.
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"great audio...spinoza's life was interesting. "
— Jose (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Well-written, clear, and informed, they have a breezy wit about them. I find them hard to stop reading.”
— New York Times -
“Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character…I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one’s friends to Western civilization.”
— Boston Globe -
“A godsend in the era of the short attention span.”
— New York Times
Spinoza in 90 Minutes Listener Reviews
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" Read it just this morning (a bit under 90 minutes, did I read too fast?). While it's not a bad read in the strict sense, it really did not give me any solid sense of Spinoza's overall philosophy and quite often just felt like an outlet for the author's (rather bad) attempts at wittiness. "
— Thomas, 11/26/2012 -
" This one was probably the sparsest on philosophy of the five others I've listened to in this series, but still it was interesting and witty as always. "
— Tra-Kay, 4/11/2011 -
" great audio...spinoza's life was interesting. "
— Jose, 8/10/2010
About Paul Strathern
Paul Strathern earned a degree in philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin, and has lectured in philosophy and mathematics. The author of many nonfiction books and of articles for numerous publications, he has also written several novels and has won the Somerset Maugham Prize. He lives and writes in London.
About Simon Vance
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.