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Discover›Philosophy & belief
Contents
Baruch Spinoza
Philosopher

Baruch Spinoza

Famoose for

Arguing that mind and nature belong to one unified reality.

Theological-Political Treatise · Ethics

Born
24 November 1632
Birthplace
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died
21 February 1677

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Baruch Spinoza

Baruch Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher whose work challenged conventional accounts of God, freedom and religious authority.

Early life

Amsterdam community

Grew up in the city’s Portuguese-Jewish community.

Intellectual break

Was expelled from that community in 1656.

Career

  1. 1650s–1660s

    Independent thought

    Developed his philosophy outside a university career.

  2. 1670

    Political and religious argument

    Published the Theological-Political Treatise anonymously.

  3. 1677

    Ethics published

    His major philosophical work appeared after his death.

Selected writings

Theological-Political Treatise

Defended freedom of thought and examined scriptural interpretation.

Ethics

Presented a system concerning nature, mind and human emotion.

Political Treatise

An unfinished work analysed political organisation.

Beyond philosophy

Lens grinding

Supported himself through work with optical lenses.

Independence

Declined a university appointment that might constrain his philosophical freedom.

Sources & photo creditLife, career and references ↗Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy ↗

Photo: anonymous. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.