|
so:text
|
One explanation for Spinoza's status as unknown celebrity is the scandal he caused in his own time. As we shall see , his words were deemed heretical and banned for decades and with rare exceptions were quoted only as part of the assault on his work. The attacks paralyzed most attempts by Spinoza admirers to discuss his ideas publicly. The natural continuity of intellectual acknowledgment that follows a thinker's work was thus interrupted, even as some of his ideas were used uncredited. This state of affairs, however, hardly explains why Spinoza conÂtinued to gain fame but remained unknown once the likes of Goethe and Wordsworth began to champion him. Perhaps a betÂter explanation is that Spinoza is not easy to know. (en) |
