"The unassisted reader who opens the Ethics casually is likely to be completely misled as to Spinoza’s purpose. In the first book he will find only pantheism; in the second he will find antiquated physiology, with a suggestion of materialism; in the third he will be tempted to regard Spinoza as a pedantic La Rochefoucauld, retaining the cynicism without the wit. It is only in the fourth and fifth books that Spinoza’s purpose becomes obvious; but the casual reader is hardly likely to persevere until he reaches them."
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Bertrand Russell, "Spinoza", The Nation (London), 8 (Nov 12 1910)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ethics_(Spinoza_book)
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Ethics (Spinoza book)
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