Reseña del editor:
The seventeenth-century philosopher Spinoza was expelled from the Jewish community of Amsterdam the age of twenty-four for 'horrendous heresies', and was eventually reviled by all religious authorities for claiming that human beings are parts of a single, unified nature, that God is identical with nature, and that reason, not revelation, supplies the truth of any aspect of God. Undeterred, he made this thesis the basis for a rational crusade against superstition and prejudice. Dr Gullan-Whur's biography, the first for twenty-eight years, shows how Spinoza's central philosophical beliefs developed within the context of his own life. Drawing on very recent scholary research and making detailed reference to primary sources, some not previously explored, the author focuses on the philosopher's attempt to act solely through reason in the face of turbulent personal and national circumstances. This new approach demolishes the myth that Spinoza was a lofty ascetic. It exposes his emotional and sexual vulnerabilit arrogance and misogyny, yet shows his living philosophical experiment to be shrply relevant today.
Contraportada:
'Written with impressive skill and confidence...Insight and scholarship give this biography an honoured place, if not for eternity, then at least for several decades to come.' Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph
The seventeenth-century philosopher Spinoza was expelled from the Jewish community of Amsterdam at the age of twenty-four for 'horrendous heresies', and was eventually reviled by all religious authorities for claiming that human beings were parts or aspects of a single, unified nature, that God was identical with nature, and that reason, not revelation, supplied the truth of any aspect of God, or Nature. Undeterred, he made this thesis the basis for a rational crusade against superstition and prejudice.
Margaret Gullan-Whur's biography, the first for twenty-eight years, shows how Spinoza's central philosophical beliefs developed within the context of his own life. Drawing on very recent scholarly research and making detailed reference to primary sources, some not previously explored, the author focuses on the philosopher's attempt to act solely through reason in the face of turbulent personal and national circumstances. This new approach demoloshes the myth that Spinoza was a lofty ascetic. It exposes his emotional and sexual vulnerability, arrogance and misogyny, yet shows his living philosophical experiment to be sharply relevant today.
'A tour de force, a remarkable blend of imagination and erudition. Spinoza here ceases to be a saint and becomes a flesh-and-blood character with quirks, flaws, and passions.' Frederick Beiser, Times Literary Supplement
'A vivid picture of Spinoza's Holland...Diligent searching in the archives has enabled her to fill out details and to question long-held assumptions.' Roger Scruton, The Times
'A sumptuous and rigorously scholarly account of the much-loved seventeenth-century philosopher...brilliantly detailed.' Steven Poole, Guardian
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