Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Kindle
$9.99

Available instantly

Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$20.28

Paperback
$15.93

$20.28 with 52 percent savings

List Price: $42.00

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns

FREE delivery Tuesday, May 14 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 13 hrs 23 mins

Select delivery location

Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).

$$20.28 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (26) from $19.27 FREE Shipping on orders over $35.00 shipped by Amazon.

Follow the author

Steven M. Nadler

+ Follow

More books from this author

Think Least of Death: Spinoza on How to Live and How to Die Hardcover – September 22, 2020

by Steven Nadler (Author)

4.4 217 ratings

See all formats and editions

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$20.28","priceAmount":20.28,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"20","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"28","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"MtFrvF5sslTwkXF3gTsaLHRYtBHkPal9wcxzl3ErYw%2B%2FT%2FuohbTmcS7Xu%2FJhZgobXwdDkfoiJMkQgOXPYrHU1ol4rJ%2F4bPTHwY7oUWYHvPCQI0klTdjR7kOeYxSQBFxD%2F4PgM5%2BXCJktNA50CulFWg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

From Pulitzer Prize-finalist Steven Nadler, an engaging guide to what Spinoza can teach us about life’s big questions

In 1656, after being excommunicated from Amsterdam’s Portuguese-Jewish community for “abominable heresies” and “monstrous deeds,” the young Baruch Spinoza abandoned his family’s 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’s views has long obscured that his primary reason for turning to philosophy was to answer one of humanity’s 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–finalist Steven Nadler connects Spinoza’s ideas with his life and times to offer a compelling account of how the philosopher can provide a guide to living one’s best life.

In the Ethics, Spinoza presents his vision of the ideal human being, the “free person” who, motivated by reason, lives a life of joy devoted to what is most important―improving 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. “The free person thinks least of all of death,” Spinoza writes, “and his wisdom is a meditation not on death but on life."

An unmatched introduction to Spinoza’s moral philosophy, Think Least of Death shows how his ideas still provide valuable insights about how to live today.

Frequently bought together

Think Least of Death: Spinoza on How to Live and How to Die

$20.28

Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14

Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age

$15.70

Get it as soon as Monday, May 13

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

+

$33.97

Get it as soon as Monday, May 13

In Stock

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Ian Buruma
67
Hardcover
42 offers from $17.67
Steven Nadler
305
Paperback
34 offers from $9.58
Prof Jonathan I. Israel
41
Hardcover
28 offers from $45.99
Steven Nadler
106
Paperback
27 offers from $18.88
Benedict de Spinoza
656
Paperback
83 offers from $5.82
Irvin D. Yalom
1,609
Paperback
63 offers from $9.00

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Aiming to extract life lessons from the philosophy of Spinoza, this vibrant study focusses on the concept of ‘homo liber,’ or the free person, a supremely rational figure continually striving for power and virtue. . . . Spinoza’s work serves as a hopeful, timely statement of what the truth-seeking individual can accomplish." ― New Yorker

"As an accessible introduction to the complex thought of Spinoza, it is a success."---Jeffrey 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’s delightful new book."---Jonathan Rée, Literary Review

"A helpful explication of [Spinoza’s] ideas about ethics, the afterlife, and human nature." ― Kirkus Reviews

"If you want the clearest and most sympathetic introduction as exists to Spinoza’s ideas . . . then Nadler’s your man. This, his latest book, is a must-read for our present, troubled times."---David Conway, Jewish Chronicle

Review

“Spinoza always has more to teach us, and Steven Nadler is among the best in laying out the riches of Spinoza’s thought in ways both accessible and inspiring.”―Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away

“Think Least of Death is a lively, engaging, and enjoyable introduction to Spinoza’s moral philosophy. Steven Nadler, a gifted writer, has produced a stimulating account of Spinoza’s answer to the question of what makes a good human life.”―Clare Carlisle, author of Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of Søren Kierkegaard

“Steven Nadler sheds new light on Spinoza by taking him seriously as a moral philosopher. Particularly impressive is the way Nadler highlights Spinoza’s surprising and often overlooked contributions to traditional ethical subjects, such as death and suicide.”―Matthew J. Kisner, author of Spinoza on Human Freedom

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (September 22, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691183848
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691183848
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1 x 8.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #452,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #251 in Individual Philosophers (Books)
- #735 in Philosophy Metaphysics
- #1,616 in Philosophy of Ethics & Morality

Customer Reviews:
4.4 217 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Steven M. Nadler

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

217 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Yehoshua Ben-Avraham

True Freedom

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023

Verified Purchase

A detailed expose of Spinoza's Ethics. It is a pleasure to read and give one direction on a virtuous way of life.

Helpful

I am Zone

interesting and helpful

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2024

Verified Purchase

First, the subject is interesting in its own right: Spinoza is one of the great philosophers. Second, Nadler is the perfect person to introduce us to this great thinker; his writing focuses on the important questions and he manages to convey the importance without waxing too philosophical. Every time I put down the book I felt the urge to become free as Spinoza understands that term. Thank you.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

ChemistA1

My favorite philosopher

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

Everyone should read this book!Very nice title also

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

William Edward Schenck

Philosophy that is worth reading

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

I’m not a philosopher so I didn’t expect to understand this book. I was pleasantly surprised when I read it that I found it to be quite easy to comprehend and useful as a guide to living a virtuous life. Spinoza major premise is that we should all be living a life striving for freedom. I’m not sure what he means by this but what it appears is that he wants us to further our power by using reason to determine what is the best course of action. He doesn’t believe everyone is capable of becoming free but he believes everyone is working towards that goal whether they think they are or not. This may not sound like grand philosophy but he makes it meaningful by putting it in its proper context. He also does a splendid job of explaining how to face death. This alone makes the book worth reading.

25 people found this helpful

Helpful

jtb

A very good book by one of today's premier Spinoza scholars

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2021

Verified Purchase

Stephen Nadler is one of the best scholars writing about Spinoza and related topics. I've read some of his other work, and this book (Think Lest of Death) compares well with them.

Spinoza is a difficult thinker; his basic ideas are quite different from those that we entertain today. And yet, I believe they shed light on important elements of what it means to lead a good life. Nadler's book explains those ideas and their consequences within the context of Spinoza's thought.

I believe the book would be clear enough for those who have read very little by or about Spinoza. And I know it is worth while for those who have much more.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Craig Pinkus

Clear analysis diluted by repetition

Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book was cited in a recent NYT piece on renewed interest in Spinoza. After a good overview, it becomes so repetitive that I can't continue reading it. I find myself debating how many variations on Spinoza's ideas I can tolerate to possibly find a new insight from the author.

Helpful

john1411

The greatest book ever written by a mortal

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022

Verified Purchase

No, not at all the greatest book--not even close. It did have the makings of a book that could have been good; however, the author ruined whatever decent content the book has, and it does have some, with his timid hand and obsession with being politically correct. It was near constant distraction with such political correctness reeking from nearly every paragraph. A book about Spinoza's Ethics, with a heavy dose of Stoicism, written by a man who is clearly terrified of what some of his readers might think about his personal ideologies? Really? Yes, that about sums it up.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bruce

Ehh, Was Hoping For More

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2022

Verified Purchase

I love Spinoza, and have read through the Ethics. I was hoping for a deeper dive into the foundational arguments informing the ethical principals that Spinoza espoused. For the most part the book mainly provided a description of those principals, w/o the in depth arguments Spinoza provided to support them. Often the author seems to bend over backwards to reconcile some of Spinoza's less "progressive" ideas with more modern perspectives. I found some of these efforts off-putting and often unconvincing.

In spite of the above, I generally enjoyed the book, and so would recommend it to anyone who hasn't read Spinoza's Ethics, and who is interested in knowing what Spinoza actually stood for on concrete ethical issues. I give it a lukewarm endorsement.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Stuart Rush

Important book

Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

Excellent analysis

Sumit Jain

Best introduction to Spinoza’s philosophy

Reviewed in India on March 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

The book represent the humanistic side of Spinoza’s philosophy. The concept of ‘free man’ is explained in very detail. Best way to acquaint with Spinoza’s philosophy.