I'm going to begin today a study of Spinoza's "Improvement of the Understanding." How far it will proceed, and at what pace, I don't know. I know there is a...
Without going back and trying to justify, confirm, or explain the following rough opinion at the moment, my recollection is that I thought Spinoza painted...
stuarts55@...
May 17, 2007 5:59 am
1990
Stuart, I am glad to know you are on board, and thanks for your response. ... Let's go into it. We can go paragraph by paragraph, (Philosophical ...
... From: stuarts55@... To: StuartS55@... Sent: Fri, 18 May 2007 7:10 AM Subject: Re: [spinoza] Improvement Study Dear Donovan and anyone else who...
stuarts55@...
May 18, 2007 3:16 pm
1992
Hi Donovan, Stuart, and All, With regard to the treatise on the "Improvement of the Understanding" you wrote" ... I look forward to this discussion although...
Dear Donovan Thanks for starting this up for us. I would like to join in the discussion as well. I am not a deep student of Spinoza nor of philosophy. I am a...
... In turn, thanks for your post, for as I sit here pondering your comments on the opening lines, the emotion which goes with the ideas therein works once...
... Right! "All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare." It's great that you are undertaking a study of "The Improvement." Terry echoed the...
I'm going to use "p" for paragraph, "s" for sentence. Just BTW, what particular sort of sensual pleasure is S. citing in p4s1 below the first set of *****? ...
I'm a bit late to this discussion, but wanted to recommend a book by Michael P. Levine, which has rewarded this "slow reader" in a way that he hasn't been...
Terry, I guess TIE is as "complete" as it's going to be. It is possible, strictly speaking, that we are acquainted with Spinoza's own admonition about...
Hi Donovan and All, ... As I mentioned, I look forward to this discussion although I'm not sure that I can offer much concerning any possible; "rough, obscure,...
[7] (1) Further reflection convinced me that if I could really get to the root of the matter I should be leaving certain evils for a certain good. (2) I thus...
D: Sounds to me like getting fairly stinking drunk, and suffering a nasty hangover. I begin to wonder then whether Spinoza may have imbibed a fair amount...
stuarts55@...
May 19, 2007 3:26 pm
2002
Constantine, your note came through to me like this. Is it correctable from your end? ... From: craigconstantine@... To: spinoza@yahoogroups.com;...
stuarts55@...
May 19, 2007 4:21 pm
2003
[4] (1) By sensual pleasure the mind is enthralled to the extent of quiescence, as if the supreme good were actually attained, so that it is quite incapable...
[7] (1) Further reflection convinced me that if I could really get to the root of the matter I should be leaving certain evils for a certain good. (2) I thus...
D:What did S. know of riches and fame? S: If Spinoza is not a clever fraud, then he appears to be a "spiritual" prodigy of some sort. And he is pretty...
stuarts55@...
May 20, 2007 12:47 pm
2006
... Flag your post for later review. As we get deeper into "The Improvement" you could parse your text/ideas and determine what kinds they are according to...
[10] (1) But love towards a thing eternal and infinite feeds the mind wholly with joy, and is itself unmingled with any sadness, wherefore it is greatly to be...
Hi Donovan and All, ... You write that Spinoza reportedly expressed: "Jesus is the best philosopher." I too am not aware of any such statement being made by...
... If any of the scholars more able than I out there can placate Terry, please do so. Otherwise, to those both confused by my remark and unable to locate it...
Hi Donovan, ... From my rather simple request (it seems to me) to provide some support for the statement you made you apparently feel a need to placate me? If...
Donovan and Terry, Suppose we use 'philosopher' in the Platonic sense, ie, hightly honorifically, ie, a title one doesn't earn simply by being a good...
stuarts55@...
May 21, 2007 2:28 am
2012
... Since I agree with you that it was no longer interesting as an actual issue, I moved on....
Cool, thankyou. ... From: donovanrundle@... To: spinoza@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, 20 May 2007 7:57 PM Subject: Re: [spinoza] note to Stuart:...
stuarts55@...
May 21, 2007 3:10 am
2014
Donovan, In response to a couple of your comments below: Especially, concerning the interface of sterile scholasticism and burning houses. Just some anecdotal...
stuarts55@...
May 21, 2007 3:12 am
2015
Hi Stuart, ... Donovan wrote with some conviction that he actually did read such a report ("Spinoza reportedly expressed...", "It has been written...") and if ...
... Stuart, BTW, thanks for your citations concerning Spinoza's view about Jesus. They settled the substance of the matter, in my view. I think that the...
[14] (1) This, then, is the end for which I strive, to attain to such a character myself, and to endeavor that many should attain to it with me. (2) In other...
