Baruch Spinoza

Baruch or Benedictus de Spinoza was born on November 24, 1632, in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was born into a family of Portuguese Jewish origin who had been fleeing the clutches of the Inquisition for some time. He was the son of a wealthy merchant and would later become one of the greatest rationalist thinkers of the 17th century within Modern Philosophy. A diligent researcher of biblical texts, the Talmud – a fundamental text for rabbis – and essential works of Hebrew culture, Spinoza also investigated the writings of great Western philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, among others.