Baruch Spinoza 1632 – 1677
Baruch Spinoza was a 17th-century Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish descent, regarded as one of the leading rationalists of the early modern period. His major work, the Ethics, presents a deductive metaphysical system in which God and Nature are identified as a single infinite substance. Excommunicated from the Amsterdam Jewish community at the age of 23 for his heterodox views, he supported himself as a lens grinder while developing his philosophy. His Theological-Political Treatise defended freedom of thought and the separation of religious authority from political power, and is considered a foundational text of modern liberalism. Spinoza's thought influenced both the Enlightenment and 19th-century German Idealism.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Dutch
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Rationalism, Early Modern, Jewish
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Baruch Spinoza:
“Blessedness is not the reward of virtue, but virtue itself.”
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Attributed to Baruch Spinoza:
“The free man thinks of nothing less than of death, and his wisdom is a meditation, not on death, but on life.”
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Attributed to Baruch Spinoza:
“Hatred is increased by being reciprocated, and can on the other hand be destroyed by love.”
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Attributed to Baruch Spinoza:
“He who lives according to the dictates of reason endeavours, as much as possible, to render back love, or kindness, for other men's hatred, anger, and contempt towards him.”
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Attributed to Baruch Spinoza:
“Nothing exists from whose nature some effect does not follow.”