I found it difficult. I can't say whether Scruton helped or not. It seems to me that Spinoza could be explained a little more clearly, but having started Copleston's chapters on Spinoza perhaps not. ( )

This is a complicated introduction but Spinoza is a complicated philosopher and Scruton I believe does his best to introduce Spinoza's concepts and provide the reader with a solid grasp not only of Spinoza's metaphysical conclusions but also how those conclusions are arrived at.

It's quite hard to start with Spinoza so I guess this is as decent a place as any. Good luck if you plan on embarking on that journey. ( )

Got this as a preliminary guide to Spinoza to supplement "A Book Forged in Hell". Some of it was useful, but a good deal seemed to me to wander into incomprehensible discussion of philosophical issues. The problem may be mine, since I have never studied philosophy in an organized way. As an introduction, however, this is too complex. ( )