This book analyzes three often-debated questions of Spinoza''s legacy: was Spinoza a religious thinker? How should we understand Spinoza''s mind-body doctrine? What meaning can be given to Spinoza''s notions - such as salvation, beatitude, and freedom - which are seemingly incompatible with his determinism, his secularism, and his critique of religion. Through a close reading of often-overlooked sections from Spinoza''s Ethics, Elhanan Yakira argues that these seemingly conflicting elements are indeed compatible, despite Spinoza''s iconoclastic meanings. Yakira argues that Ethics is an attempt at providing a purely philosophical - as opposed to theological - foundation for the theory of value and normativity.

This book analyzes three often-debated questions of Spinoza''s legacy: was Spinoza a religious thinker? How should we understand Spinoza''s mind-body doctrine? What meaning can be given to Spinoza''s notions - such as salvation, beatitude, and freedom - which are seemingly incompatible with his determinism, his secularism, and his critique of religion. Through a close reading of often-overlooked sections from Spinoza''s Ethics, Elhanan Yakira argues that these seemingly conflicting elements are indeed compatible, despite Spinoza''s iconoclastic meanings. Yakira argues that Ethics is an attempt at providing a purely philosophical - as opposed to theological - foundation for the theory of value and normativity.

This book analyzes three often-debated questions of Spinoza''s legacy: was Spinoza a religious thinker? How should we understand Spinoza''s mind-body doctrine? What meaning can be given to Spinoza''s notions - such as salvation, beatitude, and freedom - which are seemingly incompatible with his determinism, his secularism, and his critique of religion. Through a close reading of often-overlooked sections from Spinoza''s Ethics, Elhanan Yakira argues that these seemingly conflicting elements are indeed compatible, despite Spinoza''s iconoclastic meanings. Yakira argues that Ethics is an attempt at providing a purely philosophical - as opposed to theological - foundation for the theory of value and normativity.