We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good - Carl Sagan

We begin the first episode of a four-part series on Baruch de Spinoza, a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese origin and one of the great rationalists of early modern philosophy. In our first episode, we recount his life and some of the key events that would go on to shape his philosophy and relationship with religion, rational thought, and God. One such event was his excommunication at the age of 24. It would mark a turning point in his life, where he would spend much of his days crafting state-of-the-art telescopic lenses and his philosophic legacy. We also briefly introduce some of the ideas we will expand on during discussions of his two monumental works: the Emendation of the Intellect and the Ethics. We also highlight his way of life, and his saintly character that separated him from his contemporaries in a way that lends further credibility and strength to his philosophy.

Always feel free to let us know what you think, or if you have any episode requests. We would love to hear from you in the comments! Thank you for listening and as always we’ll see you next time as we search for truth on the road that never ends!