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A Novel About SpinozaNovels about the life and philosophy of Spinoza (1632 -- 1677) are as difficult as they are rare. In 1837, the German novelist Berthold Auerbach (1812 -- 1884) wrote an unfortunately little-remembered novel, revised in 1854, about Spinoza which focused upon what the author portrayed as the philosopher's ambiguous relationship to Judaism. Much more recently, the renowned American psychotherapist and novelist Irvin Yalom has written a novel with Spinoza as its major figure: "T...
(Alfred Rosenberg talks to psychiatrist and friend, Friedrich Pfister)"I have to confess that you're the first psychiatrist I've ever met. I know nothing about your field""Well, for centuries, psychiatrists have primarily been diagnosticians and custodians for hospitalized psychotic, almost incurable patients, but all that has changed in the last decade. The change began with Sigmund Freud in Vienna, who invented the talking treatment called psychoanalysis , which permits us to help patients ove...
"when Nietzsche wept" being my most favorite book of Yalom, "the schopenhauer cure" is the seconde most and this one the least. Interestingly that's the sequence I read these books as well, but I'm not sure if there is any relation between them. I do know that how much you like a book has a lot to do with who are "now". Thus how much you enjoyed a certain book can be a good measure of who you've become and who you will be.
The Very Refuse of Thy DeedsThe ethical principles of justice and charity are the enduring legacy of Judaism. Through countless generations of the Jewish community, they have been transmitted to Christianity and Islam, and through them to the world, as the essential foundations of what most of us can agree is civilized society. Yalom recognizes this Judaic contribution to human existence. He also recognizes that without the cultic and social loyalty of Jews throughout the centuries, such a contr...
Wow. Spinoza applied uncompromising rationalism to life, ethics and beliefs. Educational and riveting. I am not smart enough to read Spinoza but this book has easy prose and is a nourishing subject for any atheist/rational thinking person. Astonishing insights into and for a 17th century autodidact.
It's been years since I've read any Spinoza, but that wasn't a problem here - Yalom's historical faction includes long passages where Spinoza himself explains his rational process. Told in alternating chapters, we meet Spinoza at the time of his excommunication (cherem) from the Sephardic community in Amesterdam and a young Alfred Rosenberg, ultimately Hitler's publisher and the man who stole Jewish (and other) artworks for the Reich.So, what is the Spinoza problem? Spinoza was a Jew of Portuges...
I learned of this author through one of my friends on Goodreads. Yalom is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford, a practicing psychiatrist, and an author of nonfiction as well as novels. The Spinoza Problem is a philosophical novel and I chose to read it as an introduction to Yalom because I admire Spinoza.I have mentioned before, in my ranting about books and reading, my life long difficulties with studying philosophy. My only real success in this endeavor came when I read The Story of Philosop...
I decided to give Yalom a second chance, after having put down When Nietzsche Wept a few years ago halfway through and finding myself too disappointed to pick it back up. That's rare. Normally I tend to finish the books I start regardless.Adjusted expectations and the fact that the story combines a WWII and a Dutch Golden age setting, two historical periods that interest me a lot, made this a more pleasant read. However, I will probably never become a fan of Yalom. If you hope to find a deep, cr...
I should have known better.I should have known that this would not be a book for me.My interest was to learn more about Spinoza. Coward that I am, I thought that a semi-fictional approach to the Dutch thinker would be a smooth way to approach him. The book seemed also to offer an original angle. What would be the link between this 17C Dutch thinker, also Jewish, and a Nazi ideologue?Dr. Yalom, (Emeritus in Psychiatry at Stanford), also seems to have a strong following of enthusiastic readers.The...
This is not my first book by Yalom and it will definitely not be the last. I love his style – it's fluid, it molds on every type of subject and it somehow incorporates scientific or historical information in such a way that you don't even realize anymore which is fact and which is fiction. I learned a lot from his books and he is a man to be listened to when it comes to psychological problems or philosophic questions about life. Unlike us, the rest of the human population that reads his books, t...
Among the innumerable treasures the Nazis stole from Europe during World War II was a collection of books displayed at the Spinoza Museum in Rijnsburg, Holland. Compared with the Rembrandts and Vermeers nearby, these antique volumes weren’t particularly valuable, but the Nazi officer assigned to carry out this little act of plunder said the books were of “great importance for the exploration of the Spinoza problem.”The Spinoza problem? Was that a subset of the Jewish Question? Or was it some ot...
This has instantly become one of my all time favourite books. I think Spinoza is one of the greatest human beings to have ever walked this earth and the way in which Yalom described his thoughts, ideas and struggles was absolutely fascinating. The parallel story was also very interesting, it definitely kept my attention and it was a good exercise into a twisted mind, to put it mildly.
Highly instructive: I learned a lot about Spinoza, the rise (and fall) of Hitler, the Jewish customs, not to mention Alfred Rosenberg, whom I had known nothing about. I enjoy this kind of fictionalised history because it manages to make history known and appreciated by means of one or more interesting stories. I guess this would be enough to recommend the book to anyone interested in history, philosophy, religion, psychiatry, etc., even though the style is not one of Yalom's strong suits and mos...
I found this initially intriguing but ultimately tedious. In fact there is NOT much of a link to go on, between Rosenberg and Spinoza; it feels like a false or inflated premise. And also, pretty much, it's a novel in which nothing happens. There's a conversation; and then another conversation; and then another conversation where they talk about the previous conversation. If you want a very light fluffy summary of some of Spinoza's views, okay; and in fact the Rosenberg character is a pretty inte...
I picked this up because my mother's book club had their last meeting centered around it. She said it was a pleasant read with a nice flow so I thought I'd give it a go for a light summer read, one that wasn't the typical YA that I go for when I don't want to overcomplicate things.Yalom is known to write novels strongly rooted in psychoanalysis, obviously originating from his background as a psychologist. The techniques used in psychoanalysis are thus easily detectable in The Spinoza Problem, es...
I saw this book on GR. and I remembered the embarrassment that I had by reading it in when it had been published . To put in parallel Spinoza and the theorist anti-semite was a risky project. Spinoza seems a kind of Christ forgiving all, even the attempt of assassination. He is withdrawn as a hermit to polish glass.Rosenberg seems a mousy man neurotic between his admiration for Spinoza and his commitment Nazi. Embarrassment comes owing to the fact that the role of the bad guy is occupied by the
I am fascinated by how Yalom puts together two personalities that have never met and how he makes use of the psychiatry and psychoanalysis to make his point. Intrigued by some of the most beautiful or devilish minds in the history, I think he loves to imagine how it would have been to have them as patients. After reading "When Nietzsche wept", and having loved it, I can read just about anything by Yalom and know that I wouldn't be disappointed. In this book he alternates the stories of one of th...
The Spinoza Problem, Irvin D. YalomA novel by the masterful storyteller and psychotherapist Irvin Yalom interweaves the philosophical life of Benedict Spinoza with the story of the obsessive Nazi philosopher Alfred Rosenberg.Irvin D. Yalom explores the mindsets of two men separated by 300 years. Using his skills as a psychiatrist, he explores the inner lives of Spinoza, the saintly secular philosopher, and of Rosenberg, the godless mass murderer.عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «مسئله ی اسپینوزا»؛ «مس...
For once I'm surprised by how much I *dis*liked a book. *The Spinoza Problem* has so many of the elements that I usually adore: historical fiction drawn around real and important historical figures, settings and themes of personal significance to me, and a core political/philosophical dimension. Yet I never connected with this book. Though it does provide an accessible introduction to Spinoza's complex and sometimes obtuse philosophy, I found its presentation so simplified that it sometimes felt...
SpinozaIn The Spinoza Problem, Irvin Yalom contrasts the courage and confidence of Spinoza with the insecurity and pettiness of Alfred Rosenberg. Spinoza’s curiosity took him beyond his cultural and customs, and even his community when he was ex-communicated. Yet, his freedom to think his own thoughts brought him joy unspeakable. On the other hand, Rosenberg, through he sought to create a ideology of the master race, of which he was a member, his emotions rose and falls through others’ view of h...