Benedict de Spinoza (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677) was one of Western Civilization’s greatest philosophers.Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza's work was not fully realized until years after his death. By laying the groundwork for the 18th century Enlightenment he came to be considered one of the great rationalists of the 17th-century philosophy. And his magnum opus, the posthumous Ethics, in which he opposed Descartes’ mind–body dualism, has also earned him recognition as one of Western philosophy's most important contributors.
Tractatus de Intellectus Emendatione or On the Improvement of the Understanding, is an unfinished work of philosophy by Spinoza. The Tractatus was first published in 1677, the year of his death, by some of Spinoza's most close friends, along with other works including the Ethica and the Tractatus Politicus. The characteristic of the work is the discussion of different form of perception at Chapter IV and illustration of the best one in relation with the experience and intellegence at the next Chapter. He also treated the issue of memory and forgetting.
This edition of On the Improvement of the Understanding is specially formatted for e-readers and includes images of Spinoza and a linked Table of Contents.
