Spinoza (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Steven Nadler
- First Published: 1999
- Type of Work: Biography, philosophy, and history
- Time of Work: 1632-1677
- Setting: Holland
- Principal Characters: Baruch “Benedictus” Spinoza
- Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography
- Subjects: Philosophy or philosophers, Nature, Religion, Schools or school life, Jews or Jewish life, Seventeenth century, Netherlands or Dutch people, Mirrors or lenses
- Locales: Holland
Baruch Spinoza’s first name means “blessed” in Hebrew, an ironic name for a man who was excommunicated with curses from the Jewish synagogue in Amsterdam when he was only twenty- three years old and who was condemned as an atheist by Christian writers during and after his life. Since his time, his work has provoked widely varying responses, including both blessings and curses. Some have argued that he was indeed an atheist because he maintained that nature was a closed chain of entirely determined causes and effects. Others have claimed that he was one of the most profoundly...
[The entire page is 1906 words long]
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