The scope of Benedictus de Spinoza's influence on the intellectual development of world culture is immeasurable. The progenitor of a monistic Weltanschauung, Spinoza's thought proved highly pluralistic in its philosophical and literary permutations. Major themes of his philosophical system continue to inspire artists and scholars in the present. Significant areas in which his ideas are still active, for example, are holistic psychology, theory of mind, process metaphysics and deep ecology. Due largely to his critique of religion, for a century following his death the name of Spinoza became generally synonymous with “Atheist”, and the philosopher was reviled throughout Europe as a maleficent Hebrew Anti-Christ. In spite of …
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Citation: Taylor, Rodney F.. "Benedictus de Spinoza". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 December 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4175, accessed 21 November 2024.]
