Benedict de Spinoza - Ethics

"Hippy bullshit."


"I read this book after learning that he is Albert Einsteins favorite philosopher. I find Einstein's writing interesting and thought this would be brilliant. I was wrong. It is badly written and weak in philosophy."


"After reading Spinoza's supposedly great work, I couldn't help but think about the things he told me regarding God, or say, the universe. After constant pondering, I began to come to my own conclusion that most of Spinoza's propositions in Ethics are completely absurd. One of these propositions, that "God exists, is everything, and is all thoughts" (yes, even the thought that's the opposite of that thought) makes no sense to me. For if it were not absurd, then thinking "God doesn't exist, is not everything, and is not all thoughts" would be true as well, which totally goes against Spinoza's proposition on God. He also proposes that everything is infinite and that nothing is finite. But what about the size of my arm? How can that be infinite if it does not go out infinitely, say compared to, the distance of light? Spinoza then claims that it's the imagination or distinction of things that makes things finite. But according to Spinoza, nothing is finite. So how can the imagination make something finite if the finite doesn't exist? Again, the more I think about what he says in this book, the more absurd it becomes. I can tell you countless more, but I don't want to bore you. Now I'm giving this review 2 out of 5 stars because I do believe this book is very well organized and very well translated. Other than that, I can't see how this book can help clear my mind from any doubts it has already given me."


"An elaboratively and eloquently written heap of non-sense, albeit this is supposed to be first approbations in rationalism"


"Oh man, I hate Spinoza. He basically just took Buddhism and Westernized it, didn't he? And has been having praise heaped on him for it since?"


"His writing lacked the simplicity and clarity of enlightenment. He was still swayed by the desire to impress the academic world, and hence his writing was unnecessarily convoluted and often trivial. When a person tries to describe the nature of God with geometry and the like, it is a sure sign that he has lost the plot."


"In short, philosophy -- pure thought -- does not have to be complicated. Why say it with geometry when you can say it in plain words? More people can read or listen than can understand geometry. What's the purpose of a secret language? To keep secrets?"