Q&A: Baruch Spinoza and Others Like Him
Baruch Spinoza and Others Like Him
Question
Hello Rabbi, I’m familiar with the claims about philosophy books written by non-Jews—that one must absolutely not read them—and it’s clear to me that this conservative approach is not true. But my question is whether there is some limit somewhere. Today I bought Spinoza’s Ethics, but afterward I started wondering whether perhaps it isn’t right for me to read books by writers whose worldview directly contradicts my own. Not necessarily from the halakhic angle (that it would be forbidden), but simply because they wrote the book on the basis of mistaken assumptions. I’d be glad to hear your opinion.
Answer
To the best of my judgment, there is no limit at all. A book that presents reasoned and substantive arguments is certainly permitted to read. The question of whether to read it or not is your decision. If it matters to you, if you are wrestling with these questions, and so on, then perhaps it is worth reading.
The argument about differing assumptions is not clear to me. When you read, you can decide what you think about the assumptions and the arguments. If you already know that you disagree, then there really is no point in reading it (but it is not forbidden).