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Benedict de Spinoza 1632 - 1677 Born to be misunderstood, Spinoza was a man whose theology was banned for godlessness. The very virtuosity of his reasoning left logicians unsettled, while even to professional thinkers in our own time Spinoza has seemed too clever by half. And yet, as Roger Scruton shows in this strikingly readable introduction to the man and his thought, Spinoza's concerns were both simple and sublime. Few philosophers, indeed, have shown such a straightforward, sustained and honest interest in uncovering the most fundamental aspects of existence. Who are we? Why are we? How should we live? Such questions set Spinoza on his metaphysical venture; and they are questions which should occupy every thinking person. Too important to be dismissed as a mere genius, Spinoza is rediscovered here in all his quiet and consoling simplicity. Roger Scruton is a writer and philosopher. His many books include An Intelligent Person's Guide to Philosophy, Modern Philosophy: an Introduction and Survey and The Aesthetics of Music.