The Categorical Imperative from Varied Philosophers - Essay Example

Despite the fact that this is Spinoza’s only book published in his own name; it is in no way representative of the ideas of Spinoza. In fact, he insisted on publishing the book with a preface that clearly stated that the ideas in the book were not endorsed by Spinoza. Further, the book also contains an appendix ‘Metaphysical Thoughts’ that outline Spinoza’s views. The book however exhibits Spinoza’s accurate understanding of Descartes's principles.Two other books are known to have been authored by Spinoza.

The first on which he started work was Ethics; the first draft of which was circulated among his friends in 1665. He resisted the completion and publication of the book due to the adverse political and religious conditions prevailing at the time. Instead, he worked on and published in 1670 the Theological-Political Treatise, a book that can be considered a prequel to Ethics. As a cautionary measure, this too was published anonymously, as was his most important work Ethics; which was published posthumously.

Contrary to Descartes, Spinoza eventually came to believe that God, Matter, and Mind were three aspects of the same entity. Like Descartes; who was a mathematician, Spinoza used geometrical methods to demonstrate his opinions. Even though difficult to read the geometrical methods gave a scientific basis to his philosophy. Unlike the abstract sciences in geometry, a theory is not accepted for faith or authority but is gradually derived through the rationale of true and false. The truth that we accept is eternal and not ephemeral assumptions of the human brain.

The methods of Spinoza was also inspired by the immense respect and credibility attached to mathematical sciences during the 17th and 18th century. Thus using the geometrical model, his book Ethics attempts to deduce the nature of reality using multiple “self-evident” axioms. He aspired to deduce a lifestyle that could be proclaimed as ethically sound as well as personally satisfying.