Baruch Spinoza

Baruch Spinoza (1632–1677) is a Dutch philosopher of Jewish Portuguese origin, considered one of the most important and radical thinkers of the early modern period. He earns his living as a lens grinder while developing a highly original philosophical system that combines Cartesian metaphysics, Stoic elements, and medieval Jewish rationalism. He is best known for his Ethics, which identifies God with Nature and advances a deterministic, naturalistic worldview, and for his anonymously published Theological-Political Treatise of 1670, which advocates for toleration and critiques organized religion.