Spinoza spoke out in favor of freedom of thought, speech and religion in the mid-17th century, when such ideas were still considered outlandish and heretical. An agnostic Jew, he wrote the first systematic criticism of the Old Testament, pointing out its various inconsistencies and contradictions. Spinoza wrote in a weird style inspired by the belief, popular at the time, that arguments had to be exposited in 'Geometric' form, with postulates and proofs. Unfortunately this makes his work difficult reading at times, although he's still worth reading today.

I love Spinoza. One of the most immediately likeable of the well-known philosophers, and well beyond his time for the 17th century: while he was growing up, the people in Germany were systematically massacring each other in the 30-years war, chiefly over the question of whether what they were eating at mass was bread or flesh. His Ethics glows with little gems, like gold nuggets: read the section On Human Bondage for a detailed study of our enslavement to emotions, and how to overcome this unhappiness. My only complaint is that he encases his philosophical system in a format of theorems, axioms, proofs, as though he were writing a geometrical treatise. Since he advocated tolerance, peace, and understanding, he was considered a heretic by Jews and a man of unspeakable wickedness by all others. When I read him sometimes I feel as close to him as a brother.

I adore Spin!!! He is so progressive for his time. I just wrote my dissertation about how he could easily be viewed as the first supporter of the animal rights movement. Amazing, huh? I think he got it right in almost every way.

This Jewish panthiestic rationalist copied almost all his ideas from DesCartes. But unlike Descartes Spinoza does not believe God exists outside the Universe. This is heritical when it come to Judaism as it is against the Jewish doctrine of Trancendence.

Spinoza is pretty cool, but when it comes to Jewish philosophers, he pales in comparison to Rabbi Maimenides (of, I believe, the 12th or 13th century).