オランダの哲学者ベネディクト・デ・スピノザ（1632-77年）は、啓蒙の父と呼ばれると同時に、相反するモラルと知的欲求を一致させようとした点で、中世の価値観に縛られた人物であったといえるでしょう。しかし同時に、非常に影響力のある哲学理論を発展させた人物であるのは間違いありません。本書はスピノザの思想をわかりやすく体系づけて分析し、今日的な知的関心事との関連性を探ります。
   

• Spinoza was the father of the Enlightenment, and developed highly influential philosophical theories
• Roger Scruton shows the relevence of Spinoza's thought to today's intellectual preoccupations
• The only short introduction aimed at non-specialists, written by a specialist, that is accessible and not overwhelming
• Illustrated, with updated bibliography

  
Benedict de Spinoza (1632-77) was at once the father of the Enlightenment and the last sad guardian of the medieval world. In his brilliant synthesis of geometrical method, religious sentiment, and secular science, he attempted to reconcile the conflicting moral and intellectual demands of his epoch, and to present a vision of humanity as simultaneously bound by necessity and eternally free. In this book Roger Scruton presents a clear and systematic analysis of Spinoza's thought, and shows its relevance to today's intellectual preoccupations.