CAS WR 150 Lecture Notes - Steven Nadler, Albert Burgh, Baruch Spinoza
Document Summary
There is so little surviving material, so little that is known for certain about the details of. Spinoza"s life, particularly before 1661 (when his extant correspondence begins) (nadler xi) Spinoza was always, to a certain extent, an outsider in the calvinist land in which he was born from which, as far as we know, he never traveled (nadler xii) What did it mean to be a philosopher and a jew in the dutch golden age? (nadler xiii) He reportedly traveled long distances in an old habit and bare feet (nadler 337) They [his family] made every effort to bring him home and back into the calvinist fold; they even cut of his allowance (nadler 337) Albert"s considerable energies are devoted to trying to persuade spinoza to mend the errors of his ways, save his soul, and turn to christ and be born again" (nadler 337)