Spinoza : Freedom's Messiah

Ian Buruma explores the life and death of Baruch Spinoza, the Enlightenment thinker whose belief in freedom of thought and speech resonates in our own time A New Yorker “Best Book of 2024” Selection “An elegant, relevant biography of a vital thinker.”-Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza (1632-1677) was a radical free thinker who led a life guided by strong moral principles despite his disbelief in an all-seeing God.Seen by many-Christians as well as Jews-as Satan’s disciple during his lifetime, Spinoza has been regarded as a secular saint since his death.Many contradictory beliefs have been attached to his name: rationalism or metaphysics, atheism or pantheism, liberalism or despotism, Jewishness or anti-Semitism.However, there is no question that he viewed freedom of thought and speech as essential to an open and free society. In this insightful account, the award-winning author Ian Buruma stresses the importance of the time and place that shaped Spinoza, begin