Mike Deval will be presenting the stimulus as follows:
Spinoza on “Practical Philosophy”
Friday 21st April, 2 pm
Benedict de Spinoza (1632—1677) is a major philosopher of the 17th century. Following Descartes, Spinoza developed original views about God, the universe, the human mind, and its relationship to the body and the world. Following Hobbes, he developed important views about political organization and the formation of democracy. Spinoza took geometry as a model for philosophy, and contributed significantly to almost every aspect of philosophy. The Ethics, Spinoza’s best-known book, identifies God with Nature. Nature constitutes an infinite, necessary and fully determinist system of which humans are part. From such ideas Spinoza developed an ethical system in which humans find happiness through their rational understanding of the system of which they are part, and of their place within it. Come and learn about this important philosopher, in the company of others with similar interests. There will be plenty of opportunity to question the speakers.
