{"product_id":"spinoza-atheist-9780691285238","title":"Spinoza, Atheist","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom Pulitzer Prize finalist Steven Nadler, a fascinating historical and philosophical narrative that unravels the mystery of whether Spinoza was an atheist\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1656, a young Amsterdam merchant was excommunicated by his Portuguese-Jewish community in the harshest terms it had ever used. Baruch Spinoza was accused of unspecified \"horrifying heresies,\" but the precise reasons for his expulsion remain a mystery. When he published his \u003ci\u003eTheological-Political Treatise \u003c\/i\u003ein 1670, which was condemned as \"the most atheistic book ever written,\" he began to reveal to the world what his heresies may have been. Yet ever since the eighteenth century, most readers and scholars have assumed that Spinoza was a pantheist--even a \"God-intoxicated man,\" as the poet Novalis put it. After all, how could a person whose books are suffused with talk of God be an atheist? In \u003ci\u003eSpinoza, Atheist\u003c\/i\u003e, Steven Nadler, one of the world's leading authorities on the philosopher, aims to settle the question and show that that's exactly what he was. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNadler makes a powerful case that there is no real divinity for Spinoza. God is Nature, and isn't an object of worshipful awe or religious reverence but can only be understood through philosophy and science. There is nothing supernatural--no mystery, ineffability, or sublimity. Spinoza does speak of \"blessedness\" and \"salvation,\" but these, too, are to be understood in natural and rational terms, as the peace of mind and happiness that come from understanding ourselves and the world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhether Spinoza believed in God is a fascinating and enduring controversy. \u003ci\u003eSpinoza, Atheist\u003c\/i\u003e promises to transform our understanding of his views and to make clear just how radical a thinker he was and remains.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Steven Nadler\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/07\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 264\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.05lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.60h x 5.60w x 1.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691285238","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45463119560841,"sku":"9780691285238","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_0d4ee710-f5eb-48ac-8830-3ee0ec283e60.jpg?v=1774997279","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/spinoza-atheist-9780691285238","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}