Baruch Spinoza

Baruch de Spinoza (Ladino: Baruch de Spinoza, Latin: Benedictus de Spinoza, November 24, 1632 - February 21, 1677) was a Dutch Jewish philosopher. Together with Descartes and Leibniz, he was the pioneer of rationalism in the 17th century, the founder of the Enlightenment era and modern biblical criticism. His works guided the modern understanding of the self and the universe, so he is considered "one of the most important philosophers in modern times." Spinoza inherited the ideas of René Descartes and was the leader of philosophy in the Dutch Golden Age. Spinoza's name, Baruch, means "blessed" and is written differently in different languages. In Hebrew his name is written ברוך שפינוזה, and among modern Jewish groups his name is written "Bento" (Portuguese for "blessed"). In Spinoza's Latin works he used the name Benedict de Spinoza. Spinoza was born into the Spanish-Portuguese-Jewish community of Amsterdam. The Portuguese synagogue issued a denunciation order against him, and the 23-year-old Spinoza (including his family) was excommunicated because of his highly controversial views on the authenticity and divine nature of the Hebrew Bible. Shortly after Spinoza's death, his works were banned by the Catholic Church. Spinoza was often called an "atheist" by his contemporaries, although Spinoza never doubted the existence of God in his works. Spinoza lived a simple life and made a living by polishing lenses. He once participated in the production of telescopes designed by the Huygens brothers. Spinoza declined offers of funding and awards and declined honorary teaching positions. Perhaps due to inhaling excessive dust from polishing lenses all year round, Spinoza died of lung disease in 1677 at the age of 44. He was buried in the Neue Cathedral Cemetery in The Hague. Spinoza's philosophical research covers almost all fields, including metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy, ethics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of science. Therefore, Spinoza is generally regarded as one of the most important philosophers of the 17th century. His philosophical thoughts are mainly reflected in two works, "Theological Politics" and "Ethics". The remaining works are either early ideas or unfinished works in which the theory is covered in both of the aforementioned works (such as the Politics), or are not the focus of Spinoza's philosophy (such as Descartes' Principia and the Hebrew Grammar)