To be Baruch Spinoza by Stefano Donno

Baruch Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin who lived from 1632-1677. He is considered one of the most important figures in the development of modern Western philosophy and one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy. He is best known for his "Ethics", which is considered his magnum opus and a cornerstone of the philosophy of Spinozism. In it, he presents a monist view of reality, where mind and matter are two aspects of the same substance, which he refers to as "God or Nature". Spinoza's philosophy was controversial in his own time and has continued to generate discussion and debate.