Israeli Debate on Spinoza

I find it interesting that Spinoza, who died more than 300 years ago is the subject of interest and controversy in contemporary Israel. Somewhere in the article your writer quotes an Israeli as wondering whether or not Spinoza could have his ID card stamped “Jewish” or not. I am not a Spinoza scholar but I do know one thing: Spinoza himself could not have cared less whether or not some Israeli equivalent of Jimmy Swaggart considered him a Jew.

Spinoza, along with John Locke, probably had more influence in promoting rational thought over mumbo jumbo than any of their contemporaries. The Founding Fathers were familiar with Spinoza’s thought as well as that of Locke, Montesquieu, Hobbes, Machiavelli and many others. The important documents of the founding of the U.S.--the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Federalist Papers--are heavily influenced by the thought of Spinoza and the others.

What is amazing is that it is probably impossible to imagine a group of current political leaders who would be familiar with the thoughts of these men and would doubtless be at a loss to write a document such as the Constitution.

HARVEY PULLIAM-KRAGER

South Pasadena