On the Improvement of the Understanding by Benedictus de Spinoza is a philosophical treatise in essay form, left unfinished. It explores how the mind can move from confused ideas to clear knowledge and asks what the true and final good is. It is worth listening to for its reasoned, practical approach to thinking well.
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Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.
Opening of the book
On the Improvement of the Understanding (Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect) by Baruch Spinoza [Benedict de Spinoza] Translated by R. H. M. Elwes TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1 On the Improvement of the Understanding 3 Of the ordinary objects of men's desires 12 Of the true and final good 17 Certain rules of life 19 Of the four modes of perception 25 Of the best mode of perception
33 Of the instruments of the intellect, or true ideas
43 Answers to objections
First part of method:
50 Distinction of true ideas from fictitious ideas
64 And from false ideas
77 Of doubt
81 Of memory and forgetfulness
86 Mental hindrances from words--and from the popular confusion of ready imagination with distinct understanding.
Second part of method:
91 Its object, the acquisition of clear and distinct ideas
94 Its means, good definitions
Conditions of definition
107 How to define understanding
[Notice to the Reader.]
(This notice to the reader was written by the editors of the Opera Postuma in 1677. Taken from Curley, Note 3, at end)
*This Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect etc., which we give you here, kind reader, in its unfinished [that is, defective] state, was written by the author many years ago now. He always intended to finish it. But hindered by other occupations, and finally snatched away by death, he was unable to bring it to the desired conclusion. But since it contains many excellent and useful things, which--we have no doubt--will be of great benefit to anyone sincerely seeking the truth, we did not wish to deprive you of them. And so that you
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