Benedictus de Spinoza (thing)

Bibliography of works written by Benedictus de Spinoza.

• Spinoza's first known work was his Short Treaties on God, Man, and his Well Being.
• In 1663 he published, the Renati Descartes Principorium Philosophiae (The Principles of Descartes' Philosophy). In this work Spinoza tackles the father of modern philosophy, Rene Descartes. Spinoza exposes Descartes' weaknesses, though at the same time reconciling himself to the methodology employed by Descartes. The work is written in the geometrical structure also employed in his Ethics.
• The Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, was condemned be the Dutch Reformed Church in 1673. In this work Spinoza treats of religion and politics, as suggested in the title. The full title (from an 1862 London edition) is: Tractatus Theologico-Politicus: A Critical Inquiry into the History, Purpose, and Authenticity of the Hebrew Scriptures; with the Right to Free Thought and Free Discussion Asserted, and Shown To Be Not Only Consistent but Necessarily Bound up with True Piety and Good Government. This work is certainly one of Spinoza's more interesting texts, and it is not always given the value it deserves in philosophical expositions of his work. Theologians generally recognize its value, particularly as part of the history of Scripture interpretation.
• The Tractatus de Intellectus Emandatione was Spinoza's final work. It was published in 1677, the year of his death.
• Over the course of many years, Spinoza also composed what is now his most famous work. The Ethics was not published in his lifetime due to fears that it would bring to much ill repute to his name. An excellent version of the Latin text of this book, with English and French concordances, is available online at: www.ping.be/~pin86315/spinoza/works.htm. (I only offer this here for those that are interested, for I found this site with some difficulty.)
• In addition to these books, Spinoza also wrote letters to his many friends and detractors throughout his life. These have been collected in various editions, usually titled Correspondence (the Wolf, 1927 edition is the standard for English).

• Edwin Curley (University of Michigan) is currently preparing an edition (with Princeton University Press) of Spinoza's complete works. So far only the first volume has been published: The Collected Works of Spinoza, Vol. I, edited and translated by Edwin Curley (from Princeton University Press, 1985). This volume includes the following texst: Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect; Short Treatise on God, Man, and His Well-Being; Descartes’ Principles of Philosophy with the Metaphysical Thoughts; Ethics; and the first 28 (through June 1665) of Spinoza's Letters.
• Curley has also edited and translated a shorter version of this volume entitled, A Spinoza Reader (Princeton, 1994) which includes the complete text of the Ethics.
• Before Curley's edition, the standard English translation was the 2 volume set: The Chief Works of Benedict de Spinoza, translated and with an introduction by R. H. M. Elwes (Published in London by G. Bell and Sons, 1883–1884).
• The standard English edition of Spinoza's Letters has been: The Correspondence of Spinoza, translated and edited with annotations by A. Wolf (published in New York by Lincoln MacVeagh and The Dial Press, 1927).