Spinoza's Ethics Explained: The Path to Supreme & Unending Joy (Lecture Series)

Spinoza is a 17th-century philosopher who sought what he believed we all seek: true happiness. Observing that most seek happiness through riches, fame, or sensual pleasure unsuccessfully, he set out on a quest to seek such an end. Having found what he sought, he detailed it in his work Ethics.

Spinoza's Ethics is based purely on logic and reason. There is no mysticism or leaps of faith. Spinoza discovered that most of the suffering and pain we experience is due to our misunderstanding of the truth of things. The Ethics is difficult not because it is especially complex but because it conflicts with falsehoods most take as fundamental truths.

This six-part lecture series is designed to cover Spinoza's Ethics in its entirety. Although it is unlikely you will come away with a full understanding, this series should be enough to make his difficult work more accessible.

Series Outline:

• Lecture 1: Introduction (1 & 2)
• Lecture 2: Ethics Part I (3)
• Lecture 3: Ethics Part II (4)
• Lecture 4: Ethics Part III (5)
• Lecture 5: Ethics Part IV (6)
• Lecture 6: Ethics Part V (7)

Each lecture will be followed by a group discussion.

Recommended Material:

• Ethics translated by Samuel Shirley – https://tinyurl.com/5n8ydv7n or https://a.co/d/4EdYfuG
• Spinoza's Ethics Explained by Blake McBride – https://a.co/d/dXsW9J9

Preparation:

Although not a requirement, each lecture contains numbers in parentheses above. Those represent chapters in Spinoza's Ethics Explained to read in advance of the lecture. That book contains references to Spinoza's Ethics.

Host:

Your host is Blake McBride, who studied Spinoza’s Ethics for more than 20 years and is the author of Spinoza’s Ethics Explained. This series is detailed in his book. Questions may be sent to blake@mcbridemail.com

Special Note:

In order to minimize Zoom disruptions, I have enabled an option that requires you to have a Zoom account to join the meeting. It is probably best to set this up before the meeting. Simply go to https://zoom.com and click "Sign Up Free."