In 1656, after being excommunicated from Amsterdam鈥檚 Portuguese-Jewish community for 鈥渁bominable heresies鈥� and 鈥渕onstrous deeds,鈥� the young Baruch Spinoza abandoned his family鈥檚 import business to dedicate his life to philosophy. He quickly became notorious across Europe for his views on God, the Bible, and miracles, as well as for his uncompromising defense of free thought. Yet the radicalism of Spinoza鈥檚 views has long obscured that his primary reason for turning to philosophy was to answer one of humanity鈥檚 most urgent questions: How can we lead a good life and enjoy happiness in a world without a providential God? In Think Least of Death, Pulitzer Prize鈥揻inalist Steven Nadler connects Spinoza鈥檚 ideas with his life and times to offer a compelling account of how the philosopher can provide a guide to living one鈥檚 best life.
In the Ethics, Spinoza presents his vision of the ideal human being, the 鈥渇ree person鈥� who, motivated by reason, lives a life of joy devoted to what is most important鈥攊mproving oneself and others. Untroubled by passions such as hate, greed, and envy, free people treat others with benevolence, justice, and charity. Focusing on the rewards of goodness, they enjoy the pleasures of this world, but in moderation. 鈥淭he free person thinks least of all of death,鈥� Spinoza writes, 鈥渁nd his wisdom is a meditation not on death but on life.鈥�
An unmatched introduction to Spinoza鈥檚 moral philosophy, Think Least of Death shows how his ideas still provide valuable insights about how to live today.
Steven Nadler is Vilas Research Professor and the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison. His many books include Rembrandt鈥檚 Jews, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Spinoza: A Life, and (with Lawrence Shapiro) When Bad Thinking Happens to Good People: How Philosophy Can Save Us from Ourselves (Princeton).
"Aiming to extract life lessons from the philosophy of Spinoza, this vibrant study focusses on the concept of 鈥榟omo liber,鈥� or the free person, a supremely rational figure continually striving for power and virtue. . . . Spinoza鈥檚 work serves as a hopeful, timely statement of what the truth-seeking individual can accomplish."鈥�New Yorker
"As an accessible introduction to the complex thought of Spinoza, it is a success."鈥擩effrey Collins, Wall Street Journal
"If you want to become a better person, you ought to study the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. That at least is the message of Steven Nadler鈥檚 delightful new book."鈥擩onathan R茅e, Literary Review
"A helpful explication of [Spinoza鈥檚] ideas about ethics, the afterlife, and human nature."鈥�Kirkus Reviews
"If you want the clearest and most sympathetic introduction as exists to Spinoza鈥檚 ideas . . . then Nadler鈥檚 your man. This, his latest book, is a must-read for our present, troubled times."鈥擠avid Conway, Jewish Chronicle
鈥淪pinoza always has more to teach us, and Steven Nadler is among the best in laying out the riches of Spinoza鈥檚 thought in ways both accessible and inspiring.鈥濃�擱ebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won鈥檛 Go Away
鈥�Think Least of Death is a lively, engaging, and enjoyable introduction to Spinoza鈥檚 moral philosophy. Steven Nadler, a gifted writer, has produced a stimulating account of Spinoza鈥檚 answer to the question of what makes a good human life.鈥濃�擟lare Carlisle, author of Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of S酶ren Kierkegaard
鈥淪teven Nadler sheds new light on Spinoza by taking him seriously as a moral philosopher. Particularly impressive is the way Nadler highlights Spinoza鈥檚 surprising and often overlooked contributions to traditional ethical subjects, such as death and suicide.鈥濃�擬atthew J. Kisner, author of Spinoza on Human Freedom
