3 ms·
Two ke strategies he employed: 1) >>Spinoza stuck to Latin, the language of the learned élite. In the preface to the “Tractatus,” he declares that he is writi
by toss1 3y ago
Two ke strategies he employed:
1) >>Spinoza stuck to Latin, the language of the learned élite. In the preface to the “Tractatus,” he declares that he is writing only for philosophers and discourages “the multitude, and those of like passions with the multitude,” from reading the book: “I would rather that they should utterly neglect it, than that they should misinterpret it after their wont.”
2) >>When the “Tractatus” provoked a hostile reaction anyway, Spinoza decided not to publish anything else. He also turned down an offer to become a professor at the University of Heidelberg, on the ground that holding an official position would expose him to even more attacks. All of his work, including the “Ethics,” was left in manuscript form for his friends to print after his death.
Certainly playing the long game. And winning.
Possible today?
- IggleSniggle 3y agoPossible for the already famous or fabulously wealthy, with enough preexisting prestige to make people care about their work prior to investigating its content.
- jackcosgrove 3y ago> Spinoza decided not to publish anything else You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
- csours 3y agoYes, people publish studies that never get seen all the time.
- cubefox 3y agoThat's the problem today. What use is it to not be persecuted for publishing politically incorrect information when the information is censored or ignored by the information amplifiers, like journals, the press, Wikipedia, social networks etc. There is so much information out there already that it is easy to drown some of it by denying it a platform.
- jan_Inkepa 3y ago( His Latin, fwiw, is quite friendly/readable from what I've seen of it! )