Spinoza & Ayn Rand: Soulmates

The famous Dutch philosopher and Jewish iconoclast, Spinoza, outlined a view of God that called forth a philosophy of reason and egoism, thereby revolutionizing organized religion and paving way for the Enlightenment. About 400 years later, in the twentieth century, philosopher/novelist Ayn Rand, a devout atheist of Jewish descent, also called forth a philosophy of reason and egoism through novels about men and women who act according to their rational self-interest, most famously The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

While Spinoza's God-centric view of the universe outlined in his magnum opus, Ethics, may seem at odds with Rand's atheistic base, their view of man, ethics, and the way we come to knowledge are actually so similar as to render these two thinkers...soulmates.

This e-book demonstrates the deep similarities in their thought, allowing their respective works to serve as literary companions for anyone seeking to understand their philosophies and a philosophy of humankind that allows us to realize our highest potential.