Spinoza in 90 Minutes

De: Paul Strathern

Narrado por: Robert Whitfield

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.

©1998 Paul Strathern (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Well-written, clear, and informed, they have a breezy wit about them. I find them hard to stop reading." (The New York Times)

Short and sweet summary, not bad at all

liked it and had no problem listening just felt like the bulk of it was already known through YouTube honestly

For Philosohy lovers and what are we doing here?

Excellent, to the point, interesting and easy to follow. A must for the big questions of life!

Entertaining and Enlightening

A fascinating story. Although, from the description, I suspect Spinoza was more of a panentheist than a pantheist. In any case, this intro to Spinoza made me keen to learn more. Given the apparent opacity of Spinoza's writing, I am sure this lively overview will prove helpful.

Excellent Overview

Easy listening yet informative. Provides a quick summary of Spinoza' courageous radical thoughts on god.

too much fluff

author added a lot of their own color and opinions. unless one is in the philosophical know, not helpful

Straight to the point!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would. This book was a great way to familiarize one-self with Spinoza quickly and efficiently.

What other book might you compare Spinoza in 90 Minutes to and why?

This question does not compute. Clearly audible made poor choices in outsourcing this website. lol

What does Robert Whitfield bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

WTF? this question is unanswerable.

If you could give Spinoza in 90 Minutes a new subtitle, what would it be?

I would not.

Any additional comments?

Again, great audio book, straight to the point and useful.

Short and a hint of humor

Author has a knack of finding humor in right places, without sounding pompous or cocky. 90 minutes is a good introduction. Most of others ‘ xxx in 90 minutes’ are good too

The clarity of the speaker.

Every thing of this book was clear and well announced this makes it easier to understand.

A well done synopsis of a fascinating philosopher.

What a great way to be introduced to one of history's most enigmatic philosophers. The author does a superb job in just 90 mins..

Just enough information to get a person started

I think this audiobook comes in at a little under the ninety minutes advertised, but then again, its subject died at a relatively early age. I knew only the bare minimum about this philosopher and haven't read his work, so it was nice to have some idea of a few of the main ideas and the daring innovations he is associated with. It was clear that he didn't fit in with the time and place he occupied, and that the only way he could make his ideas known was to do what he did and have the bulk of it released only after his death. How much easier and more conducive it would have been for him to live in modern Western society! But then the rational approach he was after would not have been out there to influence the Enlightenment and it's anyone's guess where we would be by now. I'm not sure I can quite agree with Spinoza's pantheistic identification of the cosmos as a whole with anything I would call God, which puts the main argument in favor of existence the medieval Ontological Argument which never seemed sound to me anyhow.

There were a couple of times while listening to the narration I had to laugh out loud at some of the little jokes the author put in about his subject. I hadn't read any of his other books before but I expect this to be sort of a calling card of his style. Overall this gave just a bit more than a taste of what Spinoza's life and thinking were about, and I think anyone wondering whether they want to find out more would be able to make up their mind from such an introduction.