The life of Baruch (or Benedict) Spinoza is something of a paradox. On one hand, it is difficult to imagine a more retiring, pedestrian existence. A confirmed bachelor, Spinoza spent his relatively short life mostly secluded in his modest apartment in The Hague, polishing lenses, keeping up with correspondence, and receiving the occasional admirer. His meager output of writing would have failed to earn him tenure in today’s academic market, with his major work of philosophy (the Ethics) published only after his death at the age of forty-four. This is hardly the typical vita of one of humanity’s great revolutionary thinkers. Yet, shortly after his demise, Spinoza would gain one of the most consequential reputations in all of Europe, as the apostle of reason.
Read Full Article »
