In the meeting of November 2010 we will read a chapter from Spinoza’s Ethics (1677); Part III: Concerning the Origin and Nature of the Emotions. Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) composed his text in the format of 59 propositions or ‘statements’, that in turn contain notes, proofs or corollaries. To help us shed some light on this text, we are also reading a transcript of a lecture by Gilles Deleuze on Spinoza’s concept of affect (from 1978). Gilles Deleuze is one of many theorists for whom Spinoza has been greatly influential. More specifically, Spinoza’s writing on affect marks a starting point for any historical investigation into the notion of affect.