Sublime

philos as the root of Philadelphia,

À ces amis, ajoutons un personnage influent, qui inaugure la correspondance de Spinoza, à partir de l’été 1661 : Henry Oldenburg. Ce savant allemand vit en Angleterre, où il vient de cofonder, en 1660, la fameuse Royal Society, qui anime au fil des ans le principal réseau européen de circulation des idées et des découvertes scientifiques.

On appelle parfois ce principe « loi de Price », en hommage à Derek J. de Solla Price13, le chercheur qui a découvert son application scientifique en 1963.

First, why should we have any regard for the long-run if the prospect of immediacy is sufficiently enticing? Secondly, does the philosophe’s view not entail that even in the long-run we ought to obey the moral rules only when and insofar as they serve our desires? And thirdly is not this indeed the way of the world, that each individual, each

I consider it very unhandsome of you to refuse it. Such doings may be lined with religion, but outside they have a nasty, dog-in-the-manger look. You might as well slander Fred: it comes pretty near to it when you refuse to say you didn’t set a slander going. It’s this sort of thing – this tyrannical spirit, wanting to play bishop and banker

SPINOZA (1634-77) is the noblest and most lovable of the great philosophers. Intellectually, some others have surpassed him, but ethically he is supreme.

I would not subtract anything from the praise that is due to philanthropy, but merely demand justice for all who by their lives and works are a blessing to mankind.

I see a stray sheep—I don’t mean a sinner, but mutton—half

Thelma’s boy Dodo—whose real name was Holly Herring—was standing near