A Philosopher for Our Times
At a time when populism of both the left and the right threatens freedom of thought, the life and legacy of the seventeenth-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza has much to teach us. Through reason, he showed, one can counter the "ultimate barbarism" that comes with unchecked human passions.
MEXICO CITY – “Spinoza has had the virtue of inspiring devotions,” Jorge Luis Borges remarked to me one morning in 1978. The great Argentine author had agreed to an interview with some reluctance, but when I expressed my intention to talk only about Spinoza, he perked up: “We’ll have a ‘More Geometric Breakfast!’”