New Books in Jewish Studies | 2 June 2026 | 0h 40m | Listen Later 
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Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Steven Nadler about his book Spinoza, Atheist. Unpacks Spinoza’s radical 17C philosophy, emphasising his excommunication for rejecting a transcendent God. Spinoza argued God is nature and miracles impossible, saw the Bible as human literature inspiring virtue, not divine truth. Asserts Spinoza was an atheist, not a pantheist, as he rejected worship, advocating instead for understanding nature through reason. Spinoza used “God” as a rhetorical device to guide readers towards his philosophical conclusions, which were too provocative for publication during his lifetime, shaping a powerful legacy of secular thought.
