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alanrussellfuller's review against another edition
2.0
Baruch Spinoza was the influential 17th-century philosopher who laid the foundations for many modern concepts. He has been considered the world's first secularist. The Constitution of the United States of America made Spinoza’s principles of tolerance the law of the land.
He made claims for the powers of pure reason, unassisted by empirical observation and induction, and is an inspiration for "the theory of everything." Spinoza taught that the universe was entirely deterministic. He believed the Bible should be read in the same way as any other book, thus laying the groundwork for modern biblical criticism.
He made claims for the powers of pure reason, unassisted by empirical observation and induction, and is an inspiration for "the theory of everything." Spinoza taught that the universe was entirely deterministic. He believed the Bible should be read in the same way as any other book, thus laying the groundwork for modern biblical criticism.
fantasticalsam's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
4.75
First nonfiction book I've completed in too long, and I'm glad I read it
sallyjaygatsby's review against another edition
4.0
This book made me want to read more about Spinoza and read his work. Goldstein does a great job creating the narrative of both Spinoza and the world of European Jews. Will def. return to this book again, hopefully after reading the Ethics.
mkesten's review against another edition
3.0
There is great background material in this very personal tribute to Baruch Spinoza on the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition and ultimate expulsion if Jews from both those countries.
It’s funny but my family visited Spain recently and while we spent so much time taking in the muslim influence in the country, the history of torture, of burning people at the stake, converting Jews to Catholicism, and rescinding their citizenship was wholly missing from the story.
While Cordoba, Girona, and Barcelona were great centres of Jewish life and letters, including the rise of Kaballa mysticism.
Goldstein see s this history and the subsequent rise of the Sephardim community in Amsterdam as central to Spinoza’s inspired rationalism.
It’s funny but my family visited Spain recently and while we spent so much time taking in the muslim influence in the country, the history of torture, of burning people at the stake, converting Jews to Catholicism, and rescinding their citizenship was wholly missing from the story.
While Cordoba, Girona, and Barcelona were great centres of Jewish life and letters, including the rise of Kaballa mysticism.
Goldstein see s this history and the subsequent rise of the Sephardim community in Amsterdam as central to Spinoza’s inspired rationalism.
mark_lm's review against another edition
4.0
A memoir, biography, history, and philosophical explication in the sometimes excellent Jewish Encounters Series by the author of Plato at the Googleplex, which I think I bombed. I’m probably not smart enough to grok most of this, and some of it was screaming for me to write a question mark in the margin:
It may be objected that, as we understand God as the cause of all things, we by that very fact regard God as the cause of pain. But I make answer, that, in so far as we understand the causes of pain, it to that extent, ceases to be a passion, that is, it ceases to be pain; therefore in so far as we understand God to be the cause of pain, we to that extent feel pleasure. [Really?]
That is what the problem of evil comes down to: the stubborn stupidity of mankind. [A weak answer before the Theory of Evolution, but certainly inadequate now.]
This book certainly held my attention and it is an outstanding and clever overall production.
It may be objected that, as we understand God as the cause of all things, we by that very fact regard God as the cause of pain. But I make answer, that, in so far as we understand the causes of pain, it to that extent, ceases to be a passion, that is, it ceases to be pain; therefore in so far as we understand God to be the cause of pain, we to that extent feel pleasure. [Really?]
That is what the problem of evil comes down to: the stubborn stupidity of mankind. [A weak answer before the Theory of Evolution, but certainly inadequate now.]
This book certainly held my attention and it is an outstanding and clever overall production.
vonnemiste's review against another edition
5.0
This is a beautiful book, a unique combination of memoir, intellectual biography, Jewish history, and philosophical argument.
While Goldstein doesn’t seem to be a religious Jew, she deftly navigates between Spinoza’s critiques of Jewish theology, his naturalistic conception of God, her own childhood frustrations with Hebrew school, and the deeply felt religious feelings of Spinoza’s community. She seems really invested in what religious practice, theology, and mysticism meant to the Portuguese Jews of Amsterdam. I appreciate her fair, even-handed approach: this is not a New Atheist polemic, but a thoughtful exploration of the intersections of religion, history, and philosophy in the life of Spinoza.
(Aside: Her husband, the evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker, could learn a thing or two from this book on how to write critically about religion without being patronizing, demeaning, or dismissive.)
Goldstein does an excellent job of situating Spinoza in the intellectual, political, and cultural life of 17th-century Europe. Her explanations of Spinoza’s major ideas in the “Ethics” are cogent, and she finds a way to really get across how embodied and affective Spinoza’s approach to rationality and reason was.
Goldstein paints Spinoza’s life in fine detail, engaging in some creative, novelistic speculation about certain details of his life, even while recognizing that Spinoza would likely have hated this focus on the biographical details of his life and upbringing, and the result is really stunning.
While Goldstein doesn’t seem to be a religious Jew, she deftly navigates between Spinoza’s critiques of Jewish theology, his naturalistic conception of God, her own childhood frustrations with Hebrew school, and the deeply felt religious feelings of Spinoza’s community. She seems really invested in what religious practice, theology, and mysticism meant to the Portuguese Jews of Amsterdam. I appreciate her fair, even-handed approach: this is not a New Atheist polemic, but a thoughtful exploration of the intersections of religion, history, and philosophy in the life of Spinoza.
(Aside: Her husband, the evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker, could learn a thing or two from this book on how to write critically about religion without being patronizing, demeaning, or dismissive.)
Goldstein does an excellent job of situating Spinoza in the intellectual, political, and cultural life of 17th-century Europe. Her explanations of Spinoza’s major ideas in the “Ethics” are cogent, and she finds a way to really get across how embodied and affective Spinoza’s approach to rationality and reason was.
Goldstein paints Spinoza’s life in fine detail, engaging in some creative, novelistic speculation about certain details of his life, even while recognizing that Spinoza would likely have hated this focus on the biographical details of his life and upbringing, and the result is really stunning.
veryperi22's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent but difficult. I hadn't realized how difficult spinoza can be.
shaunnow38's review against another edition
4.0
If the way which I have pointed out as leading to this result seems exceedingly hard, it may nevertheless be discovered. Needs must it be hard, since it is so seldom found. How would it be possible, if salvation were ready to our hand, and could without great labor be found, that it should be by almost all men neglected? But all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.
Rebecca Goldstein's compelling biography of Baruch de Spinoza ends with this wonderful quote from the philosopher, and encapsulates something of the overall project of the book. Goldstein's writing is excellent, but oftentimes difficult to trace as she navigates the complex pathways between Spinoza's life and writing. Goldstein's portrait of Spinoza spans various styles of writing: at times adopting a historical rigor that traces the interrelations of the Jewish community of Antwerp from which Spinoza was eventually exiled; others a more sentimental style that recalls the moments of Goldstein's own encounters with the works of philosopher; others still that break down that work and offer insight into the systems of logic and ethics that Spinoza left behind. The variance of writing styles and tones gives the book a readability that I love, because it gives a good mixture of what is most important to understanding Spinoza. The philosophy is important, but so is the context from which that thought arose. Goldstein's personal narrative is excellent as well, because it allows a moment of curiosity for those not as familiar with Spinoza's life and work to attach ourselves to.
The specific focus of Goldstein's narrative is the connections between Spinoza's thought and his Jewishness, both in an ethnic and religious sense. The book does not only focus on this aspect, and I feel overall it gives a good introduction of why this aspect of Spinoza's life is important to those unacquainted with some of the specifics of Jewish life and thought during this period of European history. One complaint I have with Goldstein's approach is there are some assumptions made to knowledge of Judaic text and customs, typically made by including Hebrew words that would not be familiar to a Jewish audience. A quick Google typically clarifies anything that Goldstein doesn't explain outright, but it is a minimal hindrance to readability.
If you are looking for a straight historical book about Spinoza's life that reconstructs his world linearly, this is not your book. If you are looking for a pure condensation of Spinoza's thought, there are sections but overall I would recommend just turning to outright critical works. For those of you looking for a good tale about an interesting philosopher, or about Enlightenment philosophy more generally, this is your book. Goldstein, particularly towards the end of the book, imaginatively reconstructs portions of Spinoza's life using his philosophical writings as a signpost. This often relies on extrapolating from know historical moments to produce a cohesive and emotional invested narrative, but I think overall it enhances the book rather than reduces its quality. Even though these moments are highly structured around the construction of a narrative, the book as a whole suffers from a lack of clear structuring around interrelated themes, and does not necessarily progress linearly. The book begins with Goldstein's own interactions with Spinoza's legacy, and ends with the whole story. Make of that what you will.
Overall, a really good read. Strong recommend, especially if you are, like myself, interested in but relatively unfamiliar with Spinoza's work.
Rebecca Goldstein's compelling biography of Baruch de Spinoza ends with this wonderful quote from the philosopher, and encapsulates something of the overall project of the book. Goldstein's writing is excellent, but oftentimes difficult to trace as she navigates the complex pathways between Spinoza's life and writing. Goldstein's portrait of Spinoza spans various styles of writing: at times adopting a historical rigor that traces the interrelations of the Jewish community of Antwerp from which Spinoza was eventually exiled; others a more sentimental style that recalls the moments of Goldstein's own encounters with the works of philosopher; others still that break down that work and offer insight into the systems of logic and ethics that Spinoza left behind. The variance of writing styles and tones gives the book a readability that I love, because it gives a good mixture of what is most important to understanding Spinoza. The philosophy is important, but so is the context from which that thought arose. Goldstein's personal narrative is excellent as well, because it allows a moment of curiosity for those not as familiar with Spinoza's life and work to attach ourselves to.
The specific focus of Goldstein's narrative is the connections between Spinoza's thought and his Jewishness, both in an ethnic and religious sense. The book does not only focus on this aspect, and I feel overall it gives a good introduction of why this aspect of Spinoza's life is important to those unacquainted with some of the specifics of Jewish life and thought during this period of European history. One complaint I have with Goldstein's approach is there are some assumptions made to knowledge of Judaic text and customs, typically made by including Hebrew words that would not be familiar to a Jewish audience. A quick Google typically clarifies anything that Goldstein doesn't explain outright, but it is a minimal hindrance to readability.
If you are looking for a straight historical book about Spinoza's life that reconstructs his world linearly, this is not your book. If you are looking for a pure condensation of Spinoza's thought, there are sections but overall I would recommend just turning to outright critical works. For those of you looking for a good tale about an interesting philosopher, or about Enlightenment philosophy more generally, this is your book. Goldstein, particularly towards the end of the book, imaginatively reconstructs portions of Spinoza's life using his philosophical writings as a signpost. This often relies on extrapolating from know historical moments to produce a cohesive and emotional invested narrative, but I think overall it enhances the book rather than reduces its quality. Even though these moments are highly structured around the construction of a narrative, the book as a whole suffers from a lack of clear structuring around interrelated themes, and does not necessarily progress linearly. The book begins with Goldstein's own interactions with Spinoza's legacy, and ends with the whole story. Make of that what you will.
Overall, a really good read. Strong recommend, especially if you are, like myself, interested in but relatively unfamiliar with Spinoza's work.