Medieval & Modern Philosophy · Early modern
Baruch Spinoza
The excommunicated lens grinder who reasoned like a geometer: God or Nature as one substance, determinism and freedom as understanding, the emotions as forces we can master, the conatus, and his radical case for freedom of thought.
Step 1 of 6 · Overview30 min read ·
Key idea
Prereqs: Descartes. Next: Locke; Leibniz. Sources: Spinoza, *Ethics* (1677) and *Theological-Political Treatise* (1670); Steven Nadler, *Spinoza: A Life*; Rebecca Goldstein, *Betraying Spinoza*.Next: 1. Life