The importance of Spinoza’s Ethics lies not only in its distinctive and powerful interpretation of reality, but also in its insistence that our understanding of ethics is inseparable from our understanding of reality as a whole. The course will be primarily structured around seminar presentations (the number of seminars will depend on enrolment). There will be no final exam for students who attend regularly. Required text: Spinoza’s Ethics, translated by Samuel Shirley (Hackett 0-87220-130-9; 978-0-87220-130-9).