Dr. Darren Staloff, Spinoza's Ethics

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  • čas přidán 8. 04. 2022
  • You can find more of Spinoza's work here amzn.to/3bQQ22W
    This is the official CZcams channel of Dr. Michael Sugrue.
    Please consider subscribing to be notified of future videos, as we upload Dr. Sugrue's vast archive of lectures.
    Dr. Michael Sugrue earned his BA at the University of Chicago and PhD at Columbia University.

Komentáře • 142

  • @TheMrdangles16
    @TheMrdangles16 Před 2 lety +130

    The only person I’ve ever been able to have a conversation about Spinoza, was only one philosophy professor in our whole department. Absolutely remarkable that this is free...thank you so much

    • @thesnowybanana2971
      @thesnowybanana2971 Před rokem +1

      and i'm sure you're the only urinating giraffe he was ever able to have a conversation about Spinoza with

  • @sorenaleksander2670
    @sorenaleksander2670 Před 2 lety +27

    I studied under Harold Bloom at NYU in the late 90s, when he was in a distinctly Spinozaen phase...the office hours were AMAZING!!!

    • @tdesq.2463
      @tdesq.2463 Před 2 lety +1

      You had it pretty good there! Definitely!

    • @aano1370
      @aano1370 Před 2 lety +2

      So lucky, found almost no support for my Spinozan enthusiasm.

  • @DevelopmentofAvoid
    @DevelopmentofAvoid Před 2 lety +66

    0:00 Introduction
    3:16 Criticism of the Judeo-Christian tradition
    9:11 Criticism of Descartes
    11:46 Rational Spirituality
    13:00 Attributes (singularity)
    17:16 God's Mind
    17:56 Logical necessity (monistic determinism)
    19:36 The "nature" of man
    23:41 Posit 1, Conatus (survival)
    24:16 Posit 2, Association (stimulus and response)
    26:37 Way of salvation
    29:49 Understanding the cause of emotions
    31:29 Understanding the necessity of events
    34:04 Understanding = peace
    36:49 Conclusion (find what keeps your happiness in tact)

  • @maxnul
    @maxnul Před 2 lety +35

    Simply amazing, the modern world is just insane; I feel better after listening to this

  • @CharlesDarwinHimself
    @CharlesDarwinHimself Před 2 lety +17

    Also worth mentioning that Spinoza employed his method in the Ethics to avoid the eloquence of rhetoric; he sought the Euclidan method in his Ethics because he was a man of reason, and for him, to speak of anger, sadness, jealousy, and so forth, was the same as speaking of the properties of matter.

  • @tdesq.2463
    @tdesq.2463 Před 2 lety +26

    Spinoza's ETHICS was one of the most profoundly effective game changers in this Old Boy's life & worldview.
    Great Post!
    ~TD, Boston

  • @lostintime8114
    @lostintime8114 Před 2 lety +23

    I love Dr staloffs lectures, very articulated and easy to understand fundamentally. Good stuff

  • @reachadi1029
    @reachadi1029 Před 2 lety +13

    This man is smooth!

  • @aadarshtripathi6952
    @aadarshtripathi6952 Před 6 měsíci +2

    damnnn man these are the things i should not listened in my early 20s, once is started watching this channel i felt there is no going back

  • @hunterroark8240
    @hunterroark8240 Před rokem +7

    Thank you so much for uploading these for free 100 times better than the lectures at my college

  • @moose7012
    @moose7012 Před 7 měsíci +2

    Never thought id see Furio giving a lecture on Spinoza

  • @MB-ue2rf
    @MB-ue2rf Před rokem +4

    Your lecture's terribly moving finale did sell me on Spinoza's attempt in his determined times to be honest, if only in a way he was able to live with. Thank you Dr. Staloff.

  • @Phille0tardo
    @Phille0tardo Před 16 dny

    This is definitely Dr. Staloff’s best hair era. His fits are impeccable too.

  • @ramiroortega3723
    @ramiroortega3723 Před 5 měsíci +1

    Thank you so much for taking the time to put this jewel at the reach of those of us who are interested in Western history. Eugen Weber is a great communicator: informative, rigorous and humorous. I’ve enjoyed watching this program. Very much appreciated.

  • @mamam.d.8898
    @mamam.d.8898 Před 2 lety +12

    God !, I love these lectures ♥️☀️

  • @highintrial
    @highintrial Před 2 lety +7

    Thank you again for putting all these lectures on CZcams.

  • @cheri238
    @cheri238 Před 5 měsíci +1

    Happy New Year 2024!!❤
    Spinoza was the first philosopher I learned about at the age of five years old. (Religions)
    I did not like to read "Heidi." My papa gave me an opportunity to experience books on various subjects at a very young age.
    Enternally grateful.

  • @bertjunrieQ
    @bertjunrieQ Před 2 lety +5

    I love this lecture. You are making his Ethics comprehensible that I can get some overview to the main points of his philosophy. Now I can reread Ethics, which I hope it would be more fruitful reading. Thank you!

  • @jackspicerisland
    @jackspicerisland Před 2 lety +9

    Staloff on Spinoza?! Canceling all tomorrow’s appointments right now
    🙏🙏🙏
    This channel is a (secular) miracle 🤍

    • @tdesq.2463
      @tdesq.2463 Před 2 lety

      Love the qualifier: "Secular"
      Perfectly appropriate for a presentation on a Man who espoused the still unorthodox notion that the existence of (or at least the belief in) some supernatural Being is NOT Necessary to Human Spirituality.
      Great Comment!
      ~TD, Boston

  • @enlightenedanalysis1071
    @enlightenedanalysis1071 Před 2 lety +3

    Thank you Darren. This was a really interesting lecture. I also like your style of delivery and the way you make it easier to understand. Really appreciate this video. Thanks.

  • @christinemartin63
    @christinemartin63 Před 8 měsíci +2

    On the road to truth and wisdom, it seems to me that Spinoza is a key waystation. These theories make so much sense.

  • @enlightenedanalysis1071
    @enlightenedanalysis1071 Před rokem +3

    Brilliant lecture.

  • @ruvstof
    @ruvstof Před rokem

    The best introductory lecture on Spinoza I've ever watched.

  • @brucecollis8609
    @brucecollis8609 Před rokem +1

    My whole life and just came across this. So good

  • @marcek9910
    @marcek9910 Před 11 měsíci

    Thank you professor Staloff, & thanks for posting this.

  • @inanedreamz673
    @inanedreamz673 Před rokem +1

    Very good lecture, Spinoza is someone you reach for in a difficult time

  • @jxykeem336
    @jxykeem336 Před 2 lety +8

    It's always the old ones 🔥🔥

  • @andyayala9119
    @andyayala9119 Před 11 měsíci +1

    Beautiful lecture

  • @xalian17
    @xalian17 Před 2 lety +4

    Though they would revile the opinion, one can see the ground reaped by Nietzsche, Freud,, Skinner, and maybe even Wittgenstein

  • @retardedphilosopher6097
    @retardedphilosopher6097 Před 2 lety +4

    Love it!

  • @cheri238
    @cheri238 Před rokem +8

    I have seen this lecture many times and I have thoroughly enjoyed this one on Spinoza's ethics.
    Thank you, Professor, Staloff. ❤️

  • @MNMLSTN
    @MNMLSTN Před 2 lety +3

    the legend is back👌

  • @jethroegatbunton2983
    @jethroegatbunton2983 Před 2 lety +2

    Wonderful ideas

  • @zumzoz7245
    @zumzoz7245 Před 2 lety

    Great lecture

  • @ryanoloan4417
    @ryanoloan4417 Před 2 lety +1

    Wonderful. I was hoping this would be uploaded. Thanks so much 👍

  • @Forrestpeace
    @Forrestpeace Před 2 lety +8

    even if you cannot maintain equanamity or inner peace, you still are trying your best. Even if you fail to achieve any goals you have you still are trying your best. There is nothing more to be done.

    • @pearz420
      @pearz420 Před 11 měsíci +4

      This is something people should say to one another, but not themselves.

  • @bosman1988
    @bosman1988 Před 2 lety +5

    Enthusiastic lecturer!

  • @steveclark4018
    @steveclark4018 Před 2 lety +1

    smooth operator...great lecture.

  • @clockywork
    @clockywork Před 2 lety

    Superb

  • @slimmamba7208
    @slimmamba7208 Před rokem +2

    This guy is a total bro

  • @DoubleRaven00
    @DoubleRaven00 Před rokem +2

    Another great video!
    I winder if Spinoza ever considered that prayer need not be a superstitious request to change reality, but an expression of gratitude and meditation on precisely the truths he expounds. Couldn’t this be called “prayer” too?

  • @jackatherton0111
    @jackatherton0111 Před rokem +1

    One of the most engaging lectures I’ve ever heard on Spinoza. But does it (perhaps necessarily) beg the question: in a determinist universe where we lack free will, do we only pretend to “choose” spirituality. Might we as easily choose to be evil? I’m not a Calvinist but they may be closer to the mark in suggesting that each of us is predetermined to be righteous or unrighteous and we can only give thanks if all the factors in the universe lead us, determine us, to “choose” well, however that might be defined.

  • @alohaoliwa
    @alohaoliwa Před rokem +1

    Made me cry thank you

  • @bohnulus
    @bohnulus Před 10 měsíci

    love it

  • @TheIntrepid7
    @TheIntrepid7 Před rokem

    Great!!!

  • @JurgenSawyer
    @JurgenSawyer Před rokem

    Interesting 👍🏻

  • @grapeshott
    @grapeshott Před rokem +1

    Nice

  • @ChromeMagnum
    @ChromeMagnum Před 2 lety +2

    hell yea

  • @Diplomastronaut
    @Diplomastronaut Před 2 lety +4

    Spinoza will have his day in the sun sometime soon

  • @michaeldao2249
    @michaeldao2249 Před 2 lety

    @13:24 So cool to see the old eng notations, this must've been filmed in the mid 70s?

    • @michaeldao2249
      @michaeldao2249 Před 2 lety +1

      *wonderful talk as usual, thanks so much for the upload

  • @ArthurYannLB
    @ArthurYannLB Před 3 měsíci +1

    From some angles, I feel as though I am watching a philosophy lecture given by Steven Segal.

  • @zazzles123
    @zazzles123 Před rokem +1

    I wonder what Spinoza would think about predictability of people's behavior if he ever drove a car

  • @Rico-Suave_
    @Rico-Suave_ Před 8 měsíci

    Watched all of it 38:32

  • @xenoblad
    @xenoblad Před 2 lety +3

    Eh…
    Making peace with world seems easy on an individualist level.
    It becomes a lot harder to “turn the other cheek” when that cheek is your mother’s, or your wife’s, or your best friend’s, or your child’s.
    You transition from stoicism to indolence when you accept cruelty to others.

    • @itshorriful
      @itshorriful Před rokem

      Turning the other cheek ends drama for you at that moment. You don't need to retaliate every time. Avoiding sometimes is the best way. It could get much worse.

  • @piezoification
    @piezoification Před rokem +1

    Elan Vitale confounded with the nihilism of The Will to Power and Aristotles description of the physical Word is " ridiculous" speak what you truly know or not at all. Overall good lecture on Spinoza - he's actually more interesting, I hope students read him seriously and discuss independently.

  • @JoaoSilva-zt2lg
    @JoaoSilva-zt2lg Před 2 lety +7

    this dr is still alive? thanks for sharing this

  • @philipestrin4381
    @philipestrin4381 Před 2 lety +3

    Spinoza didn't arrive where he did capriciously. He was extremely well versed in Talmud and Torah. Moreover, many of his precepts (but not all of them, by ant means) are consistent with Kabbalistic doctrine, especially that of the ayin sof.

  • @jobebrian
    @jobebrian Před 2 lety

    04:23 “Now that we are at the very cusp of the Newtonian revolution!”
    05:50 “a spirituality, as it were, for a rational person of the 20th century”
    06:56 “Therefore there must be some sort of toolmaker who created them, right? Food just happened to serve our purposes!”
    08:09 “working itself out through the causal nexus.”
    12:21 “one can reverence life”

  • @bostonboybob
    @bostonboybob Před 2 lety +6

    oh wait duuude, is this guy Spinoza?

  • @hsaqer007
    @hsaqer007 Před 2 lety

    💕

  • @cop-killer-
    @cop-killer- Před 2 lety +8

    this dude still talks the same if you listen to his newer videos its hilarious

    • @darudesandstorm7002
      @darudesandstorm7002 Před 2 lety +1

      got a link to his channel?

    • @juliozambrano4967
      @juliozambrano4967 Před 2 lety +2

      @@darudesandstorm7002 he's done a Ted talk in regards to American club culture and has done some talks for public institutions. His voice is deeper and he dropped the ponytail 😔

    • @Iksvomid
      @Iksvomid Před 2 lety +3

      He is still The Dude though.

    • @ruvstof
      @ruvstof Před rokem

      @@Iksvomid Why dude? This makes no sense!

  • @tm2jetfire
    @tm2jetfire Před 10 měsíci +1

    Sounds kind of like Spinoza discovered existentialism, Freudian psychology, and new age religion. Ahead of his time to say the least!

  • @halahala6425
    @halahala6425 Před rokem

    Yeah, you realllly must be doing something right if everyone hates you. Well put, doc.

  • @Annie-xo1iq
    @Annie-xo1iq Před 2 lety

    god im obsessed with him

  • @PastafarianPriest
    @PastafarianPriest Před měsícem

    I too was enamored of Spinoza for years until I realized that he knew nothing of real life. He died a forty-four-year-old virgin.

  • @cadenmoran775
    @cadenmoran775 Před 2 lety +3

    that ponytail is so hot

  • @parkinglotsofhell
    @parkinglotsofhell Před 2 měsíci

    Didn’t Descartes like never leave his hometown? Which was in France?

    • @parkinglotsofhell
      @parkinglotsofhell Před 2 měsíci

      Nevermind I am thinking of Kant, who never left his hometown

  • @OldMovieRob
    @OldMovieRob Před rokem

    Dave Gahan?

  • @JB-ru4fr
    @JB-ru4fr Před 2 lety +2

    I still don’t see how the life of resignation to one’s circumstances albeit with love and understanding can be an ethical state of mind. Plus, if it is good for one, is it necessarily good for all? Necessity may exist but who is the authority on what is necessary? Spinoza’s ethics seems to permit all actions if all is necessary and really contributes little to morality other than saying “do as you will”.

    • @tdesq.2463
      @tdesq.2463 Před 2 lety

      Interesting points. Very interesting. Please stay tuned. If okay with You, I hope to address the issues that You've raised here. They definitely merit careful and serious consideration. There is a major paradox at the Heart of this Philosophy. Please allow me some time to organize my thoughts on it.
      EXCELLENT COMMENT!!!
      ~TD, Boston

    • @elanfatal7174
      @elanfatal7174 Před 2 lety +2

      Since everything is necessary, that is, determined, then there really isn't a "will" to "do as one will". In Spinoza's system, all actions are validated as ethical insofar as they are all determined by the laws of nature (God, natura naturans, etc.). If there is any truly ethical act in the way that you are thinking of, its the act of understanding the very fact that we are determined. The real question, however, is how could thinking escape its own determined nature?

    • @tdesq.2463
      @tdesq.2463 Před 2 lety

      @@elanfatal7174 BANG!!!!!!!!!!
      That's the Paradox!!!!
      You Nailed It!!!
      Now, how might we be able to reconcile this glaring incongruity?
      I have an idea. But You're well on point with this issue, so I'll yield the Floor. But Yes ... You're definitely on this.
      Very Cool!!! 👍👍👍
      ~TD
      PS: I'll give You a hint as to my resolution. You Yourself uttered the key term/concept: "Escape"
      However, I would object to Your question as worded. Grounds: Assumes a critical fact not in evidence.
      Think about it.
      You've got this. I know You do.

    • @dialaskisel5929
      @dialaskisel5929 Před 2 lety +2

      Resigning yourself to (or just accepting) things that cannot be changed prevents unnecessary mental stress. Pointless and excessive anxiety and distress can be harmful to your well-being, and, moreover, can put you in a mental state where you are less compassionate or sensitive towards others (via frustration, impatience, apathy, hatred, etc)
      This form of ethical system isn't proscriptive and law-oriented, it's more prescriptive and advice oriented. The point isn't to demand you and the world follow a certain system "or else!" it's to offer an easy and widely applicable mindset that can serve to help you live a happier life.
      As a banal example: if you get a large scratch on your leg and ask what you should do, a piece of advice would be to put some antibiotic and a bandage on it. The response of "why should I?!" and then beginning to rub salt into the scratch is not morally abhorrent or illegal. But it is a bit silly and will probably cause some completely unnecessary pain and suffering.

    • @tdesq.2463
      @tdesq.2463 Před 2 lety

      @@dialaskisel5929 Very Good!

  • @thattimestampguy
    @thattimestampguy Před 2 lety +4

    4:56 “Given our modern scientific knowledge of the world, how can we believe…we find ourselves in Heaven?”
    6:34
    Tools are made with purpose
    But man puts intent into the world,
    the world doesn’t deal in purpose
    11:42 Rational Spirituality, Pantheism
    12:34 Mind and Body
    13:16 Multiple descriptions of events are possible; different aspects, different attributes
    “In Terms Of.”
    16:56 Nature and Mind, God’s Mind
    17:56

  • @elel2608
    @elel2608 Před 4 měsíci

    15:00

  • @Dino_Medici
    @Dino_Medici Před rokem

    How much would you kill to see this guy on a second date lmfaooooo the realist

  • @sullivanfraser9823
    @sullivanfraser9823 Před měsícem

    This guys mannerisms are insane

  • @frankbongio
    @frankbongio Před 2 lety +3

    Darren Staloff!!!!

  • @JohnDoe-qm8ns
    @JohnDoe-qm8ns Před 8 měsíci

    28:30

  • @bluelantern144
    @bluelantern144 Před 11 měsíci +1

    Hey is this guy Spinoza? He looks like Spinoza

  • @MichaelRNYC
    @MichaelRNYC Před 6 měsíci +1

    You had me all the way till you referenced “the hideous repression of Communist China”. I would argue that a civilization that has existed for over 5000 years is doing “what it’s supposed to “ for the well being of 1.4 billion people. Since tens of millions leave every year as tourists and students, and return, it’s reasonable to believe they like their home and their culture.
    As far back as I can recall, I have believed that matter, time, space, processes, and all other attributes were how I defined god.
    Thank you

  • @poo79884
    @poo79884 Před 7 měsíci +1

    Lecturer is hot

  • @skhotzim_bacon
    @skhotzim_bacon Před 3 měsíci

    * e4 Kc6

  • @georgegrubbs2966
    @georgegrubbs2966 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Many factual errors in this presentation. For example, Spinoza was independently wealthy. True for a few years in his younger years. A few years later, the money was gone. He was not independently wealthy. He did lens grinding to make money to pay bills. In fact, the dust from lens grinding served to kill him in his 40s.

    • @cheri238
      @cheri238 Před 4 měsíci

      He gave all his inheritance to his sister with no regrets.
      (With dignity!!!) Who would blame Spinoza for that?
      The laws of nature. What a philosopher!!!
      A sense of "awe" of the cosmos.

    • @georgegrubbs2966
      @georgegrubbs2966 Před 4 měsíci

      @@cheri238 I am a "Spinozan" so I fully appreciate his life and philosophy. His inheritance and what he did with it is complicated. He had the responsibility of pay his father's buinsess debts and it got legally complicated. Please see pages 220 - 228 in "Spinoza: Life and Legacy" by Jonathan I. Israel.
      Descartes only lived in Amsterdam for a year. Leibniz only met Spinoza for one brief time, so he didn't really know him personally, plus he criticized part of Spinoza's philosophy.
      Christian churches did not excommunicate Spinoza since he was not a Christian and did not belong to a Christian religion.
      He ground lens for microscope and telescopes.

  • @runthomas
    @runthomas Před 7 měsíci

    what he is saying is that spinoza ....read up on buddhism and put it in his own words.

    • @kpllc4209
      @kpllc4209 Před 17 dny

      His library is still in available these are just a continuation of Greek ideas.

  • @Eloign
    @Eloign Před rokem +1

    Whats funny is Spinoza saying we are utterly determined in thought word and deed yet saying we should understand and conquer our emotions 😂 silliness

    • @ruvstof
      @ruvstof Před rokem +2

      You didn't understand! We are determined to strive as if we were free.

    • @Eloign
      @Eloign Před rokem

      @@ruvstof Determined by whom? If you invoke Physics then the claim is unfalsifiable at best. If you invoke God then it's patently false and blasphemous. Physics cant tell you if your thoughts are determined based on any experiments. The Bible says you are free to choose. Spinoza is silly I'm sorry.

    • @crisgon9552
      @crisgon9552 Před 10 měsíci +1

      ​@Eloign your claim that God determines our world is even less falsifiable. The Bible can be made to say a lot of things. There are lots of Christians that believe in predestination and that God can harden our hearts

    • @Eloign
      @Eloign Před 10 měsíci +1

      @@crisgon9552 Anything can be made to say anything without context. That doesn't mean it's the fault of the text it's the fault of the person twisting the words. I can misinterpret what you just said either deliberately or because I have poor reading comprehension skills. Doesn't mean you had no intention or inherent meaning in your words. The Bible is the same of course. Calvinists are ignorant to an extreme degree. They are a minority of Christians that read determinism into the text. It's not the Historical view or present view of the vast majority of Christians and it doesn't make any sense of the Bible either. I did a whole hour long video on my other channel looking at their proof-texts and why they don't make sense IN CONTEXT. Just read it yourself and look at the context. No need for it to be a mystery.

    • @crisgon9552
      @crisgon9552 Před 10 měsíci +1

      @Eloign you are correct that Calvanism is wrong but at the end of the day God is still sovereign over everything. When Job asked why he had to suffer what was God's answer? His passive will may not be as passive as you think. The Bible isn't black and white on this. If a believer believes that the Holy Spirit has revealed something to them, how can you deny them that? Scripture alone, right? Jesus, my Bible, and I.
      Your initial comment was that Spinoza was silly to think we are determined and I do think you misunderstood him. The way we behave in a way is dictated by both nature and nurture. Think of a spouse or best friend, you really can predict what they will say. It's complicated and incomplete I will grant you that but his ideas are an important stepping stone into modern psychology.

  • @j0kez708
    @j0kez708 Před rokem

    From the age of faith to the age of "reason". Lmao.

  • @roguelove
    @roguelove Před 2 lety +1

    reddit

  • @ruskiny280
    @ruskiny280 Před rokem

    So many assumptions. "It is stranger thsn we can think." Science cannot explain why matter exists. "God alone suffices" STA.

  • @CDankies
    @CDankies Před 2 lety +1

    Lol 90’s really were like this. 40 mins of vapidity and people paid for this. 🤦🏿

    • @fifikusz
      @fifikusz Před 2 lety +1

      If you can't see deep, it might be your eyes that's wrong.

    • @CDankies
      @CDankies Před 2 lety

      @@fifikusz Deep.

    • @garyspence2128
      @garyspence2128 Před 2 lety +2

      Vapidity and validity are often confused. And folks pay a lot more for popular wisdom these days. You saw this for free. Why spoil my buzz, dude? And Einstein was a Spinoza fan. I'll trust his review before yours. Keep working on that equanimity idea. You seem like you could benefit from it. Onward thru the fog...

    • @CDankies
      @CDankies Před 2 lety

      @@garyspence2128 Thank you for your comment. I feel validation through it.

    • @jasonrose6288
      @jasonrose6288 Před rokem

      Silly comment. It's a key part of the Western philosophic tradition - 2000 years of thinking. It has very little to do with when this particular video was originally filmed.

  • @Reymundodonsayo
    @Reymundodonsayo Před 2 měsíci

    Sorry but this guy is just too hard to watch very boring presentation and it looks like he’s emulating Michael Sugrue

  • @sapientum8
    @sapientum8 Před 2 lety

    Spinoza's "human spirituality" is essentially worship of the creation instead of the Creator, which is the definition of paganism, minus all the negative connotations usually associated with that concept. This is the "natural religion" of humanity, arising spontaneously in human tribes, and is undoubtedly the first step of the ladder, as it were, where all humans start (hopefully) their spiritual ascent. However advocating to go back to that natural religion is like advising a grown up man to put on pampers and start sucking on a baby's pacifier.