[email protected]

This covers all parts of the treatise. This is essential reading for all who would understand the modern world.

It is pure genius. The treatise is a naural extention of Maimonides' M. Yorah and Guide for the Perplexed. Guide is on the internet translated from Judeo-Arabic. Maimonides' views are extentions of Akiba, best presented in the Commentaries of Nachmonides. However, one need not read any of this to see the stuff of Spinoza. "Rights" come out of power, not any abstration such as men created equal. Spinoza's view is that of the adult, not the child.

For those turned off by the logic of "Ethics" Spinoza's treatise is clear-cut.

This is a great book for teens and pre-teens. I read it at that age, cnd I loved the book.

A boy, say, nine. would love the story.

I fear I must disagree with the prior reviewer. The work seems to be an attack upon anti-Semitism thought to be arising in Germany. The work says nothing at all about the nature of anti-Semitism or the modern history of Europe in producing it, as the Panic of 1873, produced by Jewish money manipulators and some swindlers in Germany.

If one has not actually read Maimonides, it may be hard to understand what the author is saying. Maimonides' attempt to link Judaism and Aristotle has some truth, but the true leaning of Maimonides is toward science, though he follows the standard dictum pretty much in M-Torah, his major Hebrew work.

The "Chosen People" lecture tells nothing which one not very familiar with Judaism is going to grasp. The Chosen status is the fundamental basis of Jewish ethics. It exists with the definition that God is cause and effect linked with the economic, mechanical, logical natures of the universe.

Readers who do not understand the meaning of this will be highly misled by this lecture.

True understanding of Judaism is essential to understanding history. In High School and general European History in college Magna Carta was formed to further the powers of knights, lords, etc opposed to the king. True enough, but the great purpose was to
have the king use his office to protect these people from Jewish Money-lenders, as the Jews had a monopoly on money.

Look at Judges 19. Ask: Did the Levite do the right thing in pushing the girl out the door? If you cannot see the answer as Yes,
you have not understood.

I love the KJV; it is beautiful. But for the OT, it should be read in addition to a good translation of the TANACH (Old Testament) and realized that the Hebrew used then and today is largely guesswork as to meaning. Spinoza estimates that 18 % of the words in the original are unknown as to exact meaning. Lev. has the line: "Thou shalt not stand against the blood of your neighbor." The Stone version of TANACH says loosely, You shall not stand by the blood of your fellow. The difference is key. The KJV, in Judges 19 follows the practice of saying the girl, the Concubine, played the whore upon her "husband" the Levite. Yet this is based upon the way something is said, not what it means. The Stone version takes this out.

Nothing can top the KJV for beauty. I wish all copies would have the dedication to James I, which praises his predessor, Elizbeth I, who had killed James's mother. Ironic.

The law of entail is the source of next generation hurt and Heathcliff's power. It should be understood; the law almost enslaved woman. Jefferson wrote against it in Notes on the State of Virginia. The story-telling technique is very third-hand, yet achieves beautiful insight. There is no sex, of course; how heathcliff gets his money is unstated. So the story is not too realistic.

I have noticed that reviewers have not mentioned the logical absurdities and moral mockeries of this wonderful book. Take the cat that disappears such that only his
"smile" is left: Logically impossible, since a smile is a behavior, not objects that are so behaving. The walrus and carpenter, eating oysters: speculation about the moral superiority of one over the other, as one eats more, but feels deeply sorry for the oysters, and the other eats less, but feels no sympathy. I hope that parents can read the original to children. The cartoon version should be put off until the original has been read to the kids.

This is a fun book. It has a frightening quality which movies miss. Teens will love it for book reports. No big words or esoteric ideas. Just fun.

On the Origin of Species is probably the only original and major work of science that can be read without special learning in math and other fields. It is a quite interesting book, much in the style and manner of Smith's Wealth Of Nations. One need know no deep theories to recognize the value of that book.

I suspect that people are pushed away from the book for religious reasons in some cases, but more because they think it dull and difficult. It is neither.

A recent movie (2008) attacks Darwin with some ill words about his character and this or that social view. One may like, hate or be indifferent to Darwin, but the validity of his ideas stand by themselves.

I hope that younger people who may read this review will give a bit of thought of just why do males have colorful feathers (in birds) and other displayts in other kinds of animals. Also, why do males only get sex-linked diseases. Both promote Darwinism, neither is obvious.

For those unfamiliar with major non-biblical figures in Judaism this is an excellent introduction. The chapter on Maimonides, XIII, does little more than
suggest that he and Aristotle are in a class by themselves. Those who have not read M-Torah, his prime Hebrew Language work, the chapter provides inspiration to do so. It may be ordered in English and many university libraries will have it as research literature.

Reading tanach (Old Testament) without reading Maimonides (best) or RASHI (pretty good) will give a very false impression if one is interested in judaism.

This discussion is not of great interest. It gives the odd fact here and there, as the origin of the notion that 70 scholars translated the OT or TANACH intoGreek from the original.

The discussion of the Mesiannic idea is essentially Christian. There are no meaningful discussions as given by Jewish early or later, as RASHI or Maimonides. If the reader is serious about learning, this discussion will provide little.