ALL1503-C First 6 Weeks Thursday 10:30-11:50 Start Date 17-Sep
Grossman 115 Limit 20
For Bento Spinoza (1632-1637), the goal of life was happiness achieved through love for one another. The history of his time and his experiences can shed light on our time today. As a young man, he was banished from his synagogue and later had his life threatened by Christians. The rigid religious doctrines of his time led to violence and hatred (analogous to the White Christian Nation perspective of our times today). He favored both freedom of religion and democracy in government. This course uses a discussion format and the required book for the course is Spinoza: the Outcast Thinker by Devra Lehmann. Chapters will be assigned weekly upon which the discussions will be based.
Coordinator: David Mulligan 
David began his career as a missionary in Bolivia. Later, he became the Commissioner of Public Health for the State of Massachusetts. After that job, David was a professor at Stonehill College.
