Benedictus de Spinoza Baruch Spinoza, also known by his Latinized name Benedictus de Spinoza, was born on November 24, 1632, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Miguel Spinoza and Hanna Debora d'Espinoza. Of Portuguese-Jewish descent, he grew up in a culturally rich and intelletually vibrant environment that shaped his early education and philosophical curiosity. Spinoza developed a systematic approach to philosophy, drawing influence from thinkers such as René Descartes, Plato, Aristotle, and Thomas Hobbes, while his ideas later profoundly influenced philosophers including Immanuel Kant and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. His work integrated metaphysics, ethics, and rationalism, emphasizing the unity of God, nature, and existence, and challenging conventional theological and moral views. Spinoza remained deeply committed to reason, inquiry, and intellectual integrity, despite facing social and religious opposition. He had three siblings: Rebekah, Gabriel, and Isaac Spinoza. Spinoza died on February 21, 1677, in The Hague, Netherlands, at the age of 44, leaving a legacy as a pioneering philosopher whose rigorous thought continues to shape modern metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy. Read More Read Less