A Critique of the Persian Translation of Spinoza’s Ethics by Mohsen Jahangiri

This article offers a critical analysis of the Persian translation of Spinoza’s Ethics by the late Dr. Mohsen Jahangiri. The critique is limited to the first part of the book, titled “On God,” which comprises approximately 15 percent of the total text. According to the translator’s preface, Jahangiri based his work on three English translations—those by White, Boyle, and Elwes—and acknowledged his limited knowledge of Latin, noting that he consulted Latin experts when faced with discrepancies. The translation’s inaccuracies can be attributed to two main sources: (1) some errors are inherited from the English translations he used, stemming from his selection among them; (2) others appear independently of any of the English versions and must be attributed directly to the Persian translator. While recognizing the immense value of Jahangiri’s pioneering effort in translating Spinoza’s work, this article argues that his version cannot be considered a fully reliable rendering of a first-rank philosophical text. Numerous significant inaccuracies are found in the translation of the first part, even though minor issues have been omitted from this critique. In some cases, the intended meaning has been seriously altered, potentially leading Persian readers to misunderstanding. The ultimate cause of these issues is the translator’s lack of direct engagement with the Latin original. It should be noted, however, that in our present age—marked by the abundance of digital tools and online resources—the work of translators and critics is in many respects easier, and perhaps less weighty, than that of previous generations.