Character Catalog

Spinoza's absolute masterpiece, written according to the geometric method. In it he develops his metaphysics of the single substance, his theory of affects, and his conception of freedom as the comprehension of necessity.

Published anonymously, this founding work of modern biblical exegesis defends the freedom to philosophize and the separation between theology and philosophy. It was immediately banned.

An unfinished work in which Spinoza sets out his philosophical method and searches for the highest good capable of providing continuous and supreme joy.

The only work published under his own name during his lifetime, it expounds Cartesian philosophy in geometric form, accompanied by the Metaphysical Thoughts.

Spinoza's last work, left unfinished, in which he analyses the different forms of government (monarchy, aristocracy, democracy) while seeking the conditions for political stability.

The first draft of Spinoza's thought, rediscovered in the 19th century. Already present are the seeds of his philosophy of the single substance and of blessedness.

A collection of 88 letters exchanged with scholars, philosophers, and theologians from across Europe, invaluable for understanding the development of his thought and his intellectual debates.

By God I mean an absolutely infinite being, that is, a substance consisting of infinite attributes, each of which expresses an eternal and infinite essence.

The end of the State is not to transform men from rational beings into beasts or automata, but on the contrary to bring it about that their minds and bodies perform their functions safely, and that they themselves make use of free reason.

I do not claim to have found the best philosophy, but I know that I understand the true one. If you ask me how I know this, I will answer: in the same way that you know that the three angles of a triangle are equal to two right angles.

By the judgment of the angels and the sentence of the saints, we excommunicate, expel, curse and damn Baruch de Spinoza, with the consent of the entire holy community, in the presence of the holy books.

After experience had taught me that all the things which regularly occur in ordinary life are vain and futile, I resolved to inquire whether there existed a true good capable of communicating itself.

Spinoza's birthplace, a center of world trade and the Sephardic Jewish community. He grew up there, received his religious education, and was excommunicated in 1656.

Village where Spinoza settled around 1660–1663 to live in tranquility. His house is today a museum (Spinozahuis) dedicated to his memory.

Spinoza lived here from 1663 to 1670, lodging with the painter Daniel Tydeman. It is here that he wrote much of the Ethics and the Theologico-Political Treatise.

Spinoza's last residence, from 1670 until his death in 1677. The political capital of the Dutch Republic, he lodged on the Paviljoensgracht. He is buried in the Nieuwe Kerk.

Place of worship of the Sephardic Jewish community where Spinoza received his education. The current building, inaugurated in 1675, bears witness to the prosperity of that community.

Spinoza's primary trade tool, used to shape optical lenses for spectacles and microscopes. This highly precise craft work was his source of income.

The finished products of Spinoza's work, these lenses were in high demand during a period of considerable advances in optics. Huygens himself acknowledged the quality of his lenses.

Writing instruments with which Spinoza composed his treatises and his extensive philosophical correspondence with scholars across Europe.

His major work written more geometrico (in the manner of geometers), with definitions, axioms, and propositions. Spinoza kept it unpublished during the final years of his life.

A very common everyday object in the 17th-century Dutch Republic. Spinoza was known to smoke tobacco while watching spiders fight, which he found amusing.

A text Spinoza studied in depth from his youth at the synagogue, which he later subjected to rigorous critical analysis in the Theologico-Political Treatise.