This book is the first to offer an accessible, encyclopedic account of Spinoza's life and ideas, his influences and commentators, his lasting significance. Benedictus Spinoza (1632-77) was among the most important of the post-Cartesian philosophers of the second half of the 17th century. He made original contributions in every major area of philosophy. His work reflects the influences of Stoicism, Maimonides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Descartes, and others. Spinoza is best known for his Ethics, which is often held up as a supreme example of a self-contained metaphysical system intended to explain the universe. Some of his psychological influences, perhaps lesser known, anticipated Freud. This book is the first to offer an accessible, encyclopedic account of Spinoza's life and ideas, his influences and commentators, his lasting significance. Some of the best features include a time line of Spinoza's life, several bibliographies, a substantive dictionary of key Spinozan concepts, and summaries of Spinoza's principal writings. The work concludes with three all-new essays on Spinoza's place in present-day academic scholarship. This work is a valuable tool for anyone interested in Spinoza and the era of great change in which he lived and wrote. "The Continuum Companions" series is a major series of single volume companions to key research fields in the humanities aimed at postgraduate students, scholars and libraries. Each companion offers a comprehensive reference resource giving an overview of key topics, research areas, new directions and a manageable guide to beginning or developing research in the field. A distinctive feature of the series is that each companion provides practical guidance on advanced study and research in the field, including research methods and subject-specific resources.

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