Correspondence

"Correspondence" is a magnificent collection of letters written by the post-Cartesian philosopher Benedict de Spinoza during the 17th century.

It was impossible for so bold and original a thinker as Spinoza not to take his part in the discussion of the new results that came pouring from the laboratories in a manner reminiscent of our own times, more especially as he was earning his living by grinding lenses. It is true that he made no original contribution to the scientific thought of the day, and likewise made no experimental discoveries. Nevertheless, from his letters we can form a lively picture of those days when so many science discoveries were happening.

However, the chief interest of the letters is undoubtedly for the philosophers who find therein discussed at length Spinozas conception of God, but the man of science, as such, who has the faintest historic sense cannot but be entertained to find himself in a world where the transmutation of silver to gold witnessed by Helvetius was a matter of lively inquiry, and where the authority of Descartes was well-nigh absolute.