Spinoza

Spinoza, BENEDICT (1632-77), philosopher, was the son of a Portnguese Jew, and was born in Amsterdam. He took a deep interest in religious systems from un early age, and made himself intimately acquainted with the Bible and the Talmud, the result of which was to convince him that the Jewish religion of his fathers was not worthy of credence. He translated his first name of Baruch into Benedict, and, despite bribes and other inducements to remain a Jew and much persecution and ill-treatment, he boldly proclaimed his scepticism. He studied the various systems of philosophy and made himself proficient in Latin, Greek, metaphysics, and mathematics. He was excommunicated, and was obliged to seek refuge in Leyden, whence he afterwards proceeded to the Hague. In order to procure a livelihood, he worked for the optical instrument makers, but he did not neglect his pbilosophical researches. Descartes interested him above all other thinkers, and he wrote a very valuable work about his system. Though charged by his enemies with atheism, he was nothiug of the kind, but a Pantheist, believing in God as the eternal and ever-present spirit of nature. The doctrine of free-will he rejected, and individuality finds no place in his scheme. He was a truly religions man, and profoundly influenced many subsequent thinkers and poets. Quite a library of books was written in defence of and against his theories. Personally he was most amiable, and his friends were many and true. Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (1670) is his chief work, and he also wrote an admirable treatise on ethics.