Ethics Demonstrated in Geometrical Order

Ethics proven in a geometric order—Benedict de Spinoza’s work (1632–1677), a philosopher-rationalist and naturalist, one of the main representatives of the philosophy of the New Age. For Spinoza, the goal of metaphysics was for a person to achieve inner balance, contentment, and joy. He believed that this goal can be achieved only through knowledge of one’s nature and one’s place in the universe. And that, in turn, requires knowing the nature of reality itself. The book is built on the model of Euclidean geometry. Each part begins with definitions, followed by axioms or postulates, and then chains of proofs of various “theorems.”